Phone Losers
of America:
The Complete
Zine Collection
Introduction
by RedBoxChiliPepper
October 11th, 2011
Back in 1994, my friend El Jefe and I started up this little thing called the Phone Losers of America, which
immediately turned into an electronic ‘zine that was distributed on bulletin board systems around the world. The PLA
’zine covered many of the topics that were popular on underground bulletin boards at the time, including computer
hacking and phone phreaking. What set our ’zine aside from other similar text files was the weird humor and complete
nonsense that we threw in with the otherwise informative material. Readers often had a tough time distinguishing
between what was imaginary and what was real when reading the PLA ’zine. This book is a complete compilation of the
PLA ’zine.
The mid-90’s were a fun time for us, full of brand-new technology to play around with, making it an ideal time to
write a technology ’zine in. We had cellular phones that could easily be turned into scanners so that we could listen in on
other cellular phone conversations. The cordless phones in peoples’ homes could be monitored by any police scanner.
Voicemail companies began popping up all over the country and a large portion of their customer base preferred to use
easily-guessable PINs, making it a piece of cake to break into their accounts. Even better, the voicemail companies rarely
thought to block collect and 3 rd party calls to their phone lines, so we could use hacked boxes to charge all of our calls to.
And the world’s largest phone company not only let us trick their pay phones with fake quarter tones, but they also began
allowing us to use credit card numbers for our phone calls, with no verification whatsoever.
And then the internet happened for us. PLA saw the transition of the underground moving from BBSes to this
amazing new thing called The Internet, and if you pay attention you’ll notice a huge increase of internet references in the
last issue compared to the first. By the time the ’zine is finished, we’re plugging our new website’s URL instead of our
home phone number to call our BBS, and we’re harassing web forums in Boulder instead of BBSes in Illinois. The internet
brought us a whole new playground to prove our immaturity on.
For the most part, the issues contained in this book are exactly as they were seen in the original 47 PLA text files,
horrible spelling and grammar included. All of the names, phone numbers and other personal information is just as it was
shown in the 90’s. There were a few minor edits, mostly done to make these text files work better in book format so you
don’t have to read everything in 80-character DOS Edit like everyone did in the 1990’s.
While reading the articles contained in this book, keep in mind that it was all written a really long time ago, and many
things have changed, making most of the tutorials pointless. You shouldn’t try anything that you read here, mostly
because it’s probably not going to work anymore. Remember that PLA is a publication of information, humor and satire.
Nothing in any issue is to ever be taken seriously. We are not responsible for your stupidity.
Have fun reading!
RedBoxChiliPepper
Issue #001
How To Hack The Hell Out Of A WWIV BBS
Written by RedBoxChiliPepper
Written On February 15, 1990 - Last Revision on August 29, 1994
Happy Valentine’s Day! This file is for all of you wanna-be cool system hackers and crackers but don't have the
slightest idea what you're doing. Well here's your chance to be a real hacker. In addition to the axe method, I've included
some secret WWIV commands that even Wayne Bell might not be aware of. Cactus?
Tools You Need:
(1) Ladder
(1) Ax (or hedge trimmers if you want to be creative)
(1) Sysop you don't really like
What To Do:
Log on to your hated WWIV board under a false alias and start chatting up the sysop. Be really nice to him and ask for
your own sub and upload a lot of files and offer advice on ways to better his board and just be a really, really nice guy.
After you gain his trust, find out through social engineering when him and all the other members of his family are
going to be gone for an hour or so. Stake out across the street and wait for him to leave.
Now, when they're all gone take your hacking equipment to his house. Use the ladder to climb up to his window and
shatter it with your ax. (The window, not the ladder.) Climb into his room. If his room is in the basement, walk
downstairs. Of course, you could have just broken into the basement window but that would have been too easy and only a
true dedicated hacker would do it this way.
Find his computer. If someone is logged on hit F10 to go into chat mode and type, "I'M SORRY BUT I'M GOING TO
HAVE TO LOG YOU OFF SO I CAN HACK THIS BOARD." Log the loser, I mean user off and proceed to hack. Hold the ax
high over your head and bring it down with as much force as possible on his computer to hack a big gash in the middle of
it. Hack all of his WWIV backup disks, his monitor and his keyboard. Oh, and the modem. Hack everything that has to do
with WWIV to bits.
After you're all done hacking, you could format his C: drive although it's not really neccessary. Now you can brag to
all your friends about what a cool hacker you are. Take your ax and go home. Call his board and see if it answers.
Trouble Shooting:
If his board does answer when you call it you've obviously done something seriously wrong here, possibly broken into
the wrong house. Go back and finish the job, but be sure to check and make sure you have the correct address.
Please contact me and let me know if this method of hacking works on other types of bbses other than WWIV or if
you have any problems with this method. I've personally only attempted the "axe" method on WWIV and it's been
successful every time but there's a rumor going around that perhaps this will also work on VBBS, Wildcat and Citadel
software, but some modifications may have to be made.
Secret WWIV Commands:
We all know what an amazing programmer and hacker I am. While passing a rainy day last week I was looking
through the WWIV program and source code and noticed a number of flaws and back doors throughout the program.
Perhaps Wayne Bell is trying to pull a fast one just so he can get free access anywhere or destroy computers of sysops he
doesn't like or something, I don't know, but there was definitely some really odd stuff in there. Here's a breakdown of what
I found. Keep in mind that I've called WWIV bbses around the country and all of these "secret" commands seem to work in
most every version of WWIV.
1. From the main menu if you hit [CTRL] [R] [O] [Y] and stomp on the floor six times REAL HARD you'll get a DOS
prompt. From there you can do anything you want to the victim's hard drive.
2. From the main menu type /OCEAN for a super-secret ansi music menu. This does a lot of really amazing things.
This is for real.
3. WWIV has a built-in virus command that can be activated by any user, even with a SL of 10. From the main menu
type "//I AM A TOTAL LOSER" with your left hand only. If you use your right hand in any way, the virus will backfire in a
very bad way. Oh also, if your nose is pierced, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS. I won't get into why, though.
The virus will turn the outside casing of the sysop's computer bright orange and will kill off any smaller life forms in
his house, including dogs, cats, fish and all the house plants. It will also cause the sysop's front doorbell to malfunction for
a few weeks and cause the top left drawer in the sysop's
desk to stick a lot.
4. While transferring any file, repeatedly hit [CTRL] & [C] until the transfer aborts. A split second before it aborts,
though, type "booga booga" and flip the computer's power switch on and off quickly fifteen times. If you get a message
saying something like, "System failure" don't worry. This is only a part of the back door. This trick allows you to read all
the users' private mail.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You! And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your
Fone Calls!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
Issue #002
A Zillion Different Ways To Make Your Very Own Red Box
Written by RedBoxChiliPepper
Written In November Of 1992 - Last Revision on July 12, 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What In The Hell Is A Red Box?
Converting A Tone Dialer
Programming Your Tone Dialer
Trouble-Shooting Your Tone Dialer
Combination Red Box & Tone Dialer
Using A Tape Recorder or Walkman
Hallmark Cards
The Stealth-Combo Box
Voice Memo-Minders
PC Sound Blaster Red Box
A Few Schematics
Finding A Phone That Will Work
Making A Long Distance Domestic Call
Making An International Call
Making A Local Call
Red Box Frequencies
Miscellaneous Notes
Famous Operator Quotes
If you've ever made a call from a pay phone and put in real quarters (heaven forbid) sometimes you may have heard a
series of chirping noises in the background, really faint. Those are the tones that a pay phone hears when you deposit
money and there's a lot of ways that you can immitate these tones to get free calls. This file will hopefully cover every
known way to accomplish this. If I've left anything out, get in touch!
Converting A Tone Dialer Into A Red Box:
I believe all the credit for this section of the phile should go to Noah Clayton who originally wrote this for 2600
magazine.
You will need:
- Radio Shack pocket tone dialer model #43-141 ($24.95 each)
- Three AAA batteries
- Soldering Iron
- Small regular and phillips screwdriver
- Wire clippers
- A 6.5536 MHz crystal
Be sure to get Radio Shack's NEWEST type of tone dialer. The old ones were gold and brown and looked pretty ugly.
The new ones are black and the corners are rounded off a little more. They also seem to be more water-resistant and it
seems to be easier to fit the new crystal into these models.
You can either order the crystal through Radio Shack or buy it from an electronic's store. Buying it through Radio
Shack is a real bitch because you have to wait two weeks for them to order it and most employees don't know what you're
talking about when you ask for it. I've had them INSIST that they can't order that crystal for me because they don't carry it.
If you live in the St. Louis area as I do, I suggest GateWay Electronics on Page Av in Missouri. They have a knowledgable
staff and their crystals are only about three bucks a piece. (Compared to Radio Shack's $4.99 each!)
Place the dialer on the table keypad side down and speaker side up. Remove the battery cover and all batteries. Use
the phillips screwdriver to remove all four screws on the back of the dialer. Now slide the flathead screwdriver along the
side to separate the two halves of the dialer. Slide the speaker half underneath the keypad so you don't break off the wires.
On the left hand side down near the battery compartment, you'll see a silver cylinder looking component. This is the
crystal you want to remove. Pull it up with your fingers and break away all the glue that's holding it down. Use your
soldering iron and un-solder it from the circuit board. You can throw this crystal away as it has no real use in life.
Now the hard part. The new crystal you're putting in is twice as big as the old one so it's kinda hard to get it in there.
There's a few capacitors that you can bend over to make some more room. You'll also have to bend the leads to your new
crystal inward a little. Solder the new crystal in place of the old one and you're all set. Snap the two casing halves back
together being careful not to pinch any wires. Put the screws back in and insert your three AAA batteries.
A good idea is to wrap the crystal with scotch tape or electrical tape. This will prevent contact with other components
since the crystal is so big. You could also simply put a piece of paper under the crystal.
One additional thing you can do it totally remove the LED light. The only thing this light is good for is running down
your batteries really quick. If you use the unit without the light connected, you NEVER have to turn the unit's power off
and the batteries will last for a few years before you need to replace them.
Programming Your Red Box:
First you'll have to program your box's memory to make the right tones. You'll be using the three priority buttons on
the top of your unit. P1 will be your quarter, P2 your dime and P3 will be the nickel. So here's how to do it:
(1) Switch the unit on. The red light in the corner should come on unless you've disconnected it.
(2) Slide the DIAL/STORE switch to the STORE mode.
(3) Press MEMORY, *, *, *, *, *, MEMORY, P1. That programs your quarter.
(4) Press MEMORY, *, *, MEMORY, P2. That programs your dime.
(5) Press MEMORY, *, MEMORY, P3. And that's the nickel.
(6) Slide the DIAL/STORE switch back into the DIAL mode and you're ready to start phreakin'!
Try pushing the priority buttons now. Each one will emit a different high-pitched chirping noise. This is what the
phone hears when you deposit money into a pay phone. If you've ever red boxed with a taperecorder or heard the actual
pay phone tones before, you'll notice that these tones are slightly slower than the real ones. Don't worry, the pay phone
can't ever tell the difference and you rarely find an operator that can.
If you want to program in $1.00, it's best to use this programming string:
MEMORY, *, *, *, *, *, 0, *, *, *, *, *, 0, *, *, *, *, *, 0, *, *, *, *, *,MEMORY, P1.
This will make $1.00 go in a lot faster than if you'd used the PAUSE feature because "0" is being used as a substitute
for PAUSE. (The phone just ignores the 0.) Don't use this string on a live operator, though! Thanks to Even in California
for explaining to me how to do this.
Troubleshooting:
One of the most common problems I've had with my red boxes over the years, is that the tones will stop working in
the middle of trying to put in your money or they'll break up, giving you a live operator. This could be because you did a
bad job soldering the new crystal in. More commonly, the contacts on the power (or the DIAL/STORE switch) have bent
the wrong way, causing them not to touch the circuit board anymore.
To fix that, open the unit and bend the contact in the switches out a little. Not too much or they'll break when you use
the switch. If you've removed the light in your unit, there's really no reason to ever turn it off so you could glue the power
switch into the "ON" position.
Try Our New Combo Platter!
If you're the type of person who just HAS to have a tone dialer AND a red box (like me) then you can have both
without having to carry around two separate units.
1. Buy a small two-position switch like Radio Shack's model #275-407.
2. On one end solder the old crystal, on the other end solder your 6.5536 crystal and in the middle solder two small
wires, each about 4" long.
3. Solder the other ends of the two wires to where the old crystal used to be.
Pretty easy, aye? You can put the two wires through one of the vent holes in the back of the unit. On my red box, I
took the plastic piece off the back of the battery cover (You know, where you're supposed to write the memory numbers?)
and electrical taped the switch down. It actually doesn't stick out hardly at all and looks fairly professional.
Now you can switch between red box and tone dialer. You can store your stolen calling card numbers in the other
memory locations or use the touch tones to get free calls on those damn privately owned pay phones.
You know, a disturbing bit of information I heard from Zak recently is that Radio Shack won't be selling these tone
dialers anymore. I don't know if this is true or not but I plan on stocking up on tone dialers here in the near future. The
reason, supposedly is that the only people that buy these things are phreaks.
The Low-Income Red Box (A Walkman):
If you can't afford a real red box or you don't have any soldering experience, you can use a tape recorder as a red box.
There are several ways to record the tones. One way is to go to a pay phone and call your answering machine or voice mail.
After the beep on your machine, deposit about three dollars in quarters and hang up. Your three bucks should come back.
Go home and on your answering machine will be a tape with the red box tones.
Another way is to find two pay phones that are next to each other. You'll need a portable tape recorder and a suction
cup telephone pick-up. (The phone pick-ups can be purchased at Radio Shack for about $3.00.) Pick up the first pay
phone (Phone A) and call the other one (Phone B). Put the suction recorder on Phone A and deposit about three dollars in
Phone B. Hang up both phones and hopefully your money will come back.
A third way is to record the tones directly from someone else who owns a red box. Pretty easy to figure out.
To play the tones back into the phone when you need them, use either a portable tape recorder or a walkman with
some headphones. Hold the speaker from the recorder (or the headphones) to the mouthpiece of the phone and press
"play" when asked for money. Make sure not to have the volume up too loud or the distortion will make a real operator
come on the line. You can also use a big bulky tape recorder or a boom box but you'll look a little silly when you try to play
your tones into the pay phone.
Hallmark Cards:
Hallmark has these new cards that actually let you record a message for your loved ones so when grandma opens the
card she hears your voice saying, "Merry Christmas, Grandma Edna!" Then Grandma Edna will drop the card in horror,
thinking that she's gone completely nuts and probably die of a heart attack.
After you've shoplifted a few of these cards and taken one apart, you'll see that that electronics inside are pretty small.
You can record your red box tones on this chip and then conceal the whole mess anywhere you want and you'll have a tiny
red box to use.
The Stealth-Combo Box:
The following article was written by DeadKat of CoTNo and is, in my opinion, the best ever variation of the original
tone dialer design. You can pick up this article and other CoTNo Zinez on the FTP.FC.NET site. Highly recommended.
Ever since the original Rat Shack Red Box mod was printed in 2600 Magazine, there has been an explosion in red box
use. Red boxing is still one of the primary topics of discussion on alt.2600 years later. The Radio Shack Tone Dialer mod
was one of the first boxes I ever built and has proven to be the most useful of all the boxes I've experimented with.
For years, though, I've played with the original design in order to improve it. My favorate variation of the original
plans is what I call the Stealth-Combo box. It is based on the original design, but makes use of mercury switches to allow
the use of both DTMF's and ACTS tones. In other words it combines the functions of the red and white boxes.
The reason its called 'stealth' is the fact that when the dialer is held in its normal position, it will produce touchtones
as if it were un-modded. When held 'upside-down' it is capable of producing tones similar to the Bell ACTS tones that
emulate a quarter being dropped into a payphone. This design not only gives you both features, but leaves the box looking
and seemingly acting 'normal'.
Following are the complete steps to building the Stealth-Combo box that I demonstrated at the Denver 2600
meetings. These instructions assume that you have some experience working with electronics. If you don't, practice a bit
before you go cutting up your $30 tone dialer.
Parts List
One (1) Radio Shack 33-Memory Tone Dialer (Cat. No. 43-146)
Two (2) Radio Shack Experimenter's Mercury Bulb Switches (Cat. No. 275-040)
One (1) 6.50 Mhz Sub-Miniature Crystal (Don't use 6.5536, its too big)
Three (3) AAA batteries
Solder
Stranded insulated wire no larger than 22 gauge
Electrical Tape
Recommended Tools
Soldering Gun of 20 watts or less
Small Philips Scewdrivers
Needle Nose Pliers
Wire Strippers
Wire Cutters
Exacto Knife
Epoxy or super glue
Schematics
The following schematics shows the concept of how the switches work, not how its supposed to look.
C1,2 = Crystals
S1,2 = Switches (The switches are orientated in opposite directions)
Since this diagram doesn't explain shit, on to the steps to build the thing.
Steps
1. Remove the 6 screws securing the back of the Tone Dialer to the front. Four of the screws are underneath the
battery cover.
2. Gently pry off the back being careful not to break the four wires that connect the speaker to the circuit board. Lay
the back cover to the side of the dialer. You should now be looking onto the back of the dialer's circuit board.
3. Locate the original crystal (silver cylinder) on left side of the circuit board. Carefully cut the crystal off the circuit
board as close to board as possible. Use needle nose pliers to pull the crystal loose as it is held in place with rubber
cement. Be careful not to crush the crystal!
4. Measure out 2 pieces of wire that are long enough to go from the original crystal solder points, around the edge of
the dialer, to a point on the lower right side of the circuit board. Solder one end of the wire to the lower original crystal
solder point and the other end to a lead on the original crystal (keep the leads on the crystals as short as possible). Solder
the other wire to the other lead on the crystal but _not_ to the circuit board. Leave it hanging for now. Use tape to
insulate the crystal's leads.
5. Route the wires around the edge of the circuit board on the _underside_ of the circuit board. You may have to
remove the circuit board to route this sucessfully. The circuit board is held in place by 6 philips screws down the middle of
the board. Glue or tape the crystal into place on the lower right side of the circuit board on the underneath side (the
keypad side). This will leave us more room on the circuit board for the swithches.
6. Locate four green capacitors on left edge of the circuit board. Cut off the second one from the bottom as close to
the circuit board as possible. Important! Make note of which lead on the capacitor went to which solder point. Unlike
crystals, capacitors are directional and if you reverse the current, it will fry.
7. Glue or tape the capacitor to the empty spot on the upper right side of the circuit board next to the LED.
8. Solder wires from the leads on the capacitor to the original solder points of the capacitor. Run the wires along the
edge of the circuit board and insulate the capcitor's leads with tape. You have now moved the capacitor and made room
for the first switch.
9. Glue or tape the first switch on the left side of the circuit board where the capacitor used to be. Carefully push the
upper two green capacitors to the right to help make room for the first switch. Orientate the switch's leads down.
10. Solder the free end of the wire that runs to the original crystal to one of the leads on the mercury switch. Solder a
wire from the other lead of the mercury switch to the upper solder point of the original crystal. The circuit should now go
from the upper solder point through the switch to the original crystal and back to the lower solder point.
11. Test your work by putting the batteries in the dialer holding the slide switch which turns on the dialer in the on
posistion. The LED _should_ come on. If it doesn't, check your work. Make sure that the circuit is complete and the
leads aren't grounding on anything. Hold the dialer in an upright position while holding the switch on and press some
buttons. You should hear touchtones. If not, make sure you haven't broken any of the wires to the speakers.
12. Locate the yellow capacitor on the lower right side of the circuit board. Gently pry the capacitor loose with needle
nose pliers and flip the capacitor over. Insulate the leads of the capacitor with tape so that it doesn't come in contact with
the resistors which it is now partially laying on. This will leave a nice open spot on the circuit board for the rest of our
mods.
13. Look at the back cover of the dialer. You will notice that on the lower left side of the back cover is some space
about the size of a crystal. How convenient! Remove the small screen on the lower left side that covers a small opening in
the cover.
14. Glue the new crystal into the spot where the screen was with the leads facing out. The crystal will stick out the
hole a little bit, but that won't hurt anything.
15. Glue or tape the mercury switch in the space to the right of it with the leads oriented up.
16. Solder wire from the new crystal to one of the leads of the mercury switch. Solder a wire from the other lead of
the new crystal to the lower solder point of the original crystal. Make the wire to the solder point as short as possible with
the case open. Insulate the leads with tape.
17. Solder a wire from the remaining lead on the second mercury switch to the upper solder point of the original
crystal.
18. Test your dialer once more. This time hold the switch in the on position while the dialer is upside down and press
the keys. You should here the touch-tones in a much higher key now.
19. If everything has tested out, then close up the box. This is probably the most difficult step of all. You must have
the mercury switches located just right, or it won't close. Also you must place the wires which run from the back cover
away from the the components in order to optimize space. Carefully close the box, but be warned, it takes quite a bit of
pressure to get the box closed. You may want to have a friend help you hold it closed while you screw the screws back in.
You may break a switch or two before you get it right. Be very careful with any spilled mercury since as Karb0n once told
me, "Dude! That shit will make you go insane!" You must get the case closed all the way, or the on switch will not make
contact. This step can be very frustrating, but once you get it closed _and_ working, don't ever open it again!
(C)opywrong 1994, DeadKat Inc. All wrongs denied.
Voice Memo Minders:
These voice reminders can record tones and are extremely small. You can either buy one that fits in your pocket or
you can buy one that fits on your key chain. In case you're surrounded by telco security, the F.B.I., local police and AT&T's
top officials while you're at a pay phone, you can easily press the "MEMO ERASE" button to get rid of the evidence, though
the police might shoot you when they see you go for the erase button.
The PC Sound Blaster Red Box:
There's quite a few programs for your IBM computer now that will immitate red box tones as well as the tones for
other boxes. Here's how you can use your PC to red box.
1. Disconnect your PC, monitor, sound blaster, speakers, modem (if you're red boxing to a data line), and red boxing
program and carry it all over to the nearest 7-Eleven.
2. At most of the 7-Eleven's I've been at, there's an AC outlet somewhere outside of the store. Plug all of your
equipment in and turn it on. If there's no outside outlet, then ask the cashier if you can borrow their orange extension cord
for a little while, explaining the you're from the Pay Phone Repair Department. To make it more believable, wear a shirt
that says, "Pay Phone Repair Department."
3. After you have all of your equipment set up and Blue Beep running, pick up the phone and dial 1+AREA
CODE+NUMBER. When it asks you to deposit your money, hit the 25 cents key on your program and hold the speakers up
to the pay phone's mouthpiece. Continue this until you've put in enough money.
4. If it's a data transmission, quickly attach your accoustic coupler and run your Q-Modem program and try and
connect before it hangs up. Note that you will have to call back this system every 1 minute as the pay phone mutes your
sound while the "money" you put in registers.
Hope that helps. You probably won't get past step one because once you set up all that equipment on the sidewalk,
one of the pan handlers, winos or drug dealers that always hang out in front of the store will stab you so they can pawn
your computer and come back to buy some MD 20/20. But at least you felt like Kevin Mitnick there for awhile, eh?
A Digital Red Box Schematic:
This method of building a red box is for those who are more familiar with electronics. You'll need to hike over to your
local Radio Shack and pick up quite a few parts. If you're really good, you can build this quite small. (At DefCon in 1994,
there was a red box disguised as a pack of Big Red gum. This section was written by Kwiq, sysop of The Moonlight BBS.
Okay... And now for your parts...
RESISTORS
VALUES
NOTE
---------------------------------------------------R1
220 Kohm
The values of R1 and R2 are not important,
R2
220 Kohm
as long as they add up to 440 Kohm.
R3
1 Kohm
CAPCITOR
VALUE
-----------------------------------C1
0.1 uF
CRYSTAL
VALUE
NOTE
---------------------------------------------------X1
6.5 MHz
6.5536 MHz is also within the tolerance.
CHIPS
NAMES
NOTES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------U1
TCM5089
DTMF Encoder
U2
74HC4017
Decade Counter; Regular 4017 is okay.
U3
CMOS 555
Timer IC; Regular 555 will work if a 1Kohm
resistor is inserted between pins 3 and 8.
SPEAKER
IMPEDANCE NOTE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPKR1
600 ohm
U1 expects an equivalent load.
SWITCH
TYPE
NOTE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------S1
Momentary You may want to add a power switch.
Okay... This thing works on 4.5 volts so you need 3 AAA batteries... A 9V will also work if... hmm... doing some math
here... okay, R1 and R2 should add up to 470 Kohms. You need (obviously) some perf board and a chassis.
Another Digital Red Box Schematic:
Here's another type of red box that you can build that looks alot easier to contruct than the last one. This section was
written by JR "Bob" Dobbs.
CIRCUIT OPERATION: Each time the pushbutton is pressed, it triggers half of IC1, configured as a monostable
multivibrator to energize the rest of the circuit for a length of time determined by the setting of the coin selector switch.
This in turn starts the other half of IC1, configured as an astable multivibrator, pulsing on and off at regular intervals at a
rate determined by the 50k pot between pins 12 and 13. The output of the astable thus alternately powers of IC2,
configured as a square wave oscillator, providing the required 1700hz and 2200hz to the op amp which acts as a buffer to
drive the speaker.
CONSTRUCTION: Assemble the circuit as you wish. Component placement is not critical. I found the easiest
method was to use point-to-point wiring on a "universal" PC grid board with solder ringed holes. Use sockets if you aren't
a whiz with a soldering iron. Be sure to leave easy access to the potentiometers for alignment.
ALIGNMENT AND TESTING: For alignment, a frequency counter and tiggered sweep oscilloscope are extremely
handy (but not absolutely necessary.)
Install a temporary jumper from +9v supply to pin 14 of IC2 and temporarily disconnect the 0.01uF capacitors from
pins 5 and 9 of IC2. Power up the circuit. Measuring the output from pin 5 of IC2 with the frequency counter, adjust the
20k pot between pins 1 and 6 for an output of 1700hz. Now adjust the 20k pot between pins 8 and 13 for an output of
2200hz from pin 9 of IC2. Remove the temporary jumper and re-attach the capacitors to pins 5 and 9. (Note: if no
frequency counter is available, the outputs can be adjusted by ear one at a time by zero-beating the output tone with a
computer generated tone of known precision.)
Next, temporarily disconnect the wire between pins 5 and 10 of IC1. Set coin selector switch in the "N" (nickel)
position. With the oscilloscope measuring the output from pin 9 of IC1, adjust the 50k pot between pins 12 and 13 of IC1
for output pulses of 60 millisecond duration. Reconnect the wire between pins 5 and 10. (Note: If no scope is available,
adjust the pulse rate by ear using computer generated tones for comparison.)
The remaining adjustments are made by ear. Leave the selector switch in the "N" position. Adjust the 50k pot
labelled "Dime" for a quick double beep each time the pushbutton is pressed.
Finally, set the selector to "Quarter". Adjust the 50k pot labelled "Quarter" until exactly 5 very quick beeps are heard
for each button press. Don't worry if the quarter beeps sound shorter and faster than the nickel and dime ones. They
should be.
CONCLUSION: If all went well to this point, your red box should be completely aligned and functional. A final test
should now be conducted from a payphone using the DATL (dial access test line) coin test. Dial 09591230 and follow the
computer instructions using the red box at the proper prompts. The computer should correctly identify all coins
"simulated" and flag any anomalies. With a little discretion, your red box should bring you many years of use. Remember,
there's no such thing as spare change!
Semiconductors:
(2)556 dual timer
(1)741 Op Amp
(1)1N914 Switching Diode
Resistors:
(6)10k
(1)4.7k
(2)100k
(4)50k PC Mount Potentiometer
(2)20k Multi-Turn Potentiometer
Capacitors:
(10)0.01uF
(1)1.0uF
(2)10.0uF Electrolytic
Miscellaneous:
(2)14 Pin Dip Socket
(1)8 Pin Dip Socket
(1)3-position Rotary Switch
(1)Momentary Push-Button Switch(normally open)
(1)SPST Toggle Switch
(1)Speaker or Telephone Earpiece Circuit Board
(1) Box
(1) 9v Battery Clip
Mounting Hardware
SCHEMATIC DRAWING
Schematic part variables list.
Resistors:
R1 - 10k R2 - 10k R3 -4.7k R4 - 10k R5 - 10k R6 - 50k
R7 - 50k R8 - 50k R9 - 50k R10- 20k R11- 10k R12- 10k
R13- 20k R14-100k R15-100k
Capacitors:
C1 - 0.01uf C2 - 1N914 switching Diode C3 - 1.0uf C4 - 0.01uf
C5 - 0.01uf C6 - 10uf C7 - 0.01uf C8 - 0.01uf C9 - 0.01uf
C10 - 0.01uf C11 - 0.01uf C12 - 0.01uf C13 - 0.01uf C14 - 10uf
Switches:
S1 - SPST toggle
S2 - Momentary push button N.O. labeled "Deposit"
S3 - 3-position rotary switch
Miscellaneous:
g - Ground
@q - Label "quarter"
@d - Label "dime"
@n - Label "nickle"
Finding A Phone That Will Work:
Usually any GTE or Bell phone will work, Bell including Southwestern Bell, U.S.West, Ameritech, Pacific Bell, etc.
You'll know it's a Bell or GTE phone because their logo will be on the phone. I've noticed in some areas like Pacific Bell and
Ameritech the phones are rigged so that no sound can enter the mouthpiece of the phone until the call is connected,
rendering your redbox useless. A way around this is to dial "0" and have the operator dial the call for you.
Privately Owned pay phones are those ugly phones with some kind of generic logo on them that means some old fat
local guy owns it and convinces innocent store owners to install his phone instead of a Bell phone, promising him bigger
profits. Not a hard promise to keep, considering a local call sometimes costs 75 cents, they sometimes won't let you dial
toll free numbers and long distance rates are twice as high (or more) than AT&T which is pretty bad. The best thing to do
when you find a Private pay phone is to squirt a lot of ketchup or mustard into the coin slot and find a Bell/GTE phone
somewhere.
Making A Long Distance Call:
Okay, here's the fun part- Calling anywhere in the entire world and not paying a cent for it. Pick up the phone and
dial the number you want to call in the fashion 1-AREA CODE-NUMBER. For example, if you want to call the White
House in Washington D.C., dial 1-202-456-1414.
You'll hear a click, then a computer voice will say, "Please deposit $2.85." (The exact amount differs with the location
and time of day.) Mutter, "Fuck you, AT&T..." to yourself, switch on your red box, hold the speaker of the red box FLUSH
with the mouthpiece of the pay phone and press P1 for your quarters. Pause for a split second in between each quarter
because if you go too fast, you'll get a live operator wanting to know what the problem is. You are able to go 20 cents over
the amount requested and that will be credited to your call.
After you've put in enough "money", the computerized voice will say in a cheerful, unsuspecting voice, "Thank you for
using AT&T!" and your call is put through. Every few minutes the voice will come back and ask for more money.
International Calling:
Your red box can also be used to call your loved ones in other countries, although, it's annoying to do because you
HAVE to use a live operator and your conversation will be inturrupted every THREE MINUTES by a voice asking for
another two bucks. But if you really need to call overseas...
Dial 011-COUNTRY CODE-CITY CODE-PHONE NUMBER. An operator will ask you how you want to bill your call.
Tell her you'll be using the spare change you make as a waiter and MoogooGuawkcaMeemay's Chineese restaurant to pay
for your call. For best results, don't do this:
OPERATOR: "Okay, sir, please deposit your money now..."
YOU: "Okay, ma'am, I'm going to use nickels...(beep)...That was one nickel. Did you get that alright? Okay, here's my
second nickel...(beep)...okay, there's two nickels, that makes 10 cents. How much more to go? $9.10? Okay...(beep)...I'm
up to 15 cents now, right? Okay, good...(beep)...alright, there's another one...Hey, here's a penny on the ground! Can I use
a penny? No? Okay, here goes lucky nickel number five...(beep)...did you get that? Okay....etc, etc, etc."
The call will be completed like this: The operator will tell you that the call will cost (for example) $7.35. She'll tell you
to deposit $3.00, you red box three dollars to her and she connects the call. When the overseas person answers the phone
she'll say, "This is the United States AT&T operator, I have an international call for you, could you please hold while billing
is completed?" Then the operator will ask you for another $3.00 and then the remaining $1.35. After all that you'll be
connected only to be interrupted every three minutes by an operator asking for more money.
If you don't want the person you are calling to know you're calling with coins, you can ask the operator if you can
deposit all your money right now and THEN be connected overseas. They don't like to do this (because you could lose all
your "money" if they're not home) but they will do it if you ask.
Local Calls:
To red box a local call it takes about a minute or two longer than if you really paid for it, but those quarters add up so
it's definately worth it. Pick up the phone and dial zero. Tell the operator that you want to make a local call. If she tells you
just to put in a quarter and dial the number, tell her, "Well, ma'am, there's shit all over the keypad here and all the buttons
are stickin' together and I CAN'T dial it myself. The only key that works is the zero and THAT'S got this sticky blue shit all
over it. Then there's a half-eatin' Twinkee shoved in the coin return and dirt all over the four and seven keys..." Keep going
on and on until she asks you what number you want to dial. She'll ask you for a quarter and connect your call.
Make sure after your call connects that you hear the operator click off. Some operators are nosey and will just SIT
there listening to your conversation. Once I was explaining to a friend how I placed my call and suddenly the operator
starts lecturing me and telling me she's going to call security on me. (And this was about three minutes into the
conversation!)
In some cities I've noticed you can trick pay phones into thinking that a local call is actually a long distance call by
dialing 10288 before you dial the local number. So try dialing 10288 or 102881 before you make your local call and maybe
you won't have to deal with that pesky operator. The only downside of doing this is that the call will "cost" more and you'll
be inturrupted every five minutes to deposit more money.
Red Box Frequencies:
For you tech-heads out there, here are the actual frequencies that the red box produces. Actually, this is what a pay
phone produces. When you make a red box out of a Radio Shack tone dialer, the timing is slowed slighty on the quarter
tone.
The "tone" is 1700 hz and 2200 hz mixed together.
A nickel is 66 ms on (1 beep).
A dime is 66ms on, 66ms off, 66ms on (2 beeps).
A quarter is 33ms on, 33ms off repeated 5 times.
Miscellaneous Notes:
You can not call any of those 900 phone sex numbers with a red box, so perverts of the world...Sorry, Roy, you're just
out of luck. You CAN call 976 information lines, though!
If you're really desperate for money, you can sell phone calls to people. Hang around a phone and tell someone who's
about to make a call that you'll give them a free call if they'll give you a quarter. This usually impresses the hell out of any
ordinary person. If you live in a big city, you can go to the tourist section of town and sell long distance discount calls to
out of state tourists. Consider yourselves warned, though, I've read a LOT of articles on people getting busted for doing
this. One article even had a picture of a guy in an airport selling calls to people comming off the plane.
If an operator confronts you and says, "Hey, you're not really putting in coins, that's a recording!" don't get all
nervous and run from the pay phone. She'll lie and tell you that security is on the way to the pay phone to put you in jail
but she's full of it. Instead, piss her off by explaining to her in detail exactly what you're doing and how you're doing it. If
she gets an attitude with you, ask to speak with her supervisor or Service Asisstant. This pisses her off to no end. When
connected with the supervisor, tell her exactly what you think of her and the company she works for. The worse thing they
can really do is shut off the pay phone.
Operator Quotes:
Sometimes a malfunctioning red box or making a local call cause you to have to deal with a live operator who can get
testy when they find out you're screwing the place that they work for. Here are some responses I've gotten from them.
1."Well, son, your TOY doesn't seem to be working today. Why don't you try PAYING for your call instead?" Hollywood, CA
2."What'd you do, record those tones on the train tracks?" - my friend got this response when trying to use a very
poor quality cassette of red box tones in Wood River, IL
3."(sigh) Well, I'll put your call through, but next time I want you to pay real money for your call, okay?" -Galveston,
TX
4."That's it! I'm sick of you kids, I'm calling security RIGHT NOW!" -Cincinnati, OH
5."You know you'll go to hell for stealing..." -Portland, OR
6."I wish I could go over there right now and strangle that kid." -I overheard an operator in Seattle say this to her
supervisor after they thought I had hung up the phone.
7."Okay, hold on while I turn you in to security." - Indianapolis, Indiana (What are they going to do, arrest me over
the phone??)
If you have any questions about your wonderful, new hobby or you're having any kind of troubles, feel free to contact
me, RedBoxChiliPepper, via voicemail:
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-703-8910 PLA Voicemail System
314-995-1261 Zak's VMB System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET directory pub\deadkat\incoming\PLA (Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
E-Mail:
Internet: rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact RedBoxChiliPepper)
cactus@basenet.net (To contact Zak a.k.a. el_jefe)
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact Colleen Card)
Issue #003
Ruining Someone's Life (Getting Even)
Written On August 9, 1992 - Last Revision on October 23, 1994
Revenge and getting even have always been my most favorite things to do even way back in grade school so, of course,
I have a very extensive mental list on how to really get back at people and make their life a living hell. We all have people
we hate and would like to see 'em suffer for a little while. Maybe your boss for firing you or giving you shitty hours? The
big guy in school who's always giving you a hard time? Your girlfriend for dumping you so she can become a lesbian? You
get the idea. In my explanations I'll use the sample name "Chris Tomkinson" as the guy we're going to cactus. A totally
random name, of course.
Now if you decide to try all these methods at once you'll probably drive him totally insane and over the edge of reality.
Besides, you don't want to send him a billion magazines at the same time you've forwarded all of his mail to Africa so get
your timing right so you can effectively drive him crazy. A lot of my ideas focus on humiliating him with friends and
family. When you can get other people to hate him for things you're doing to him, that means you're getting good at what
you do.
Some of the things described in here require you to know a little more information on your victim than you would
usually know. Try reading the file called PLA019.TXT on ways to obtain priviledged information.
Cancel His Membership:
A video card is something that almost everyone has and uses frequently. Get your yellow pages out and call up every
video store you can find. When they answer throw them a line like, "Hi, this is Chris Tomkinson. My video cards were
stolen today and I wanted you to cancel my membership there. It turns out we're moving out of state forever next month
anyway so I'll never be in there again anyway."
When they hear that someone's stolen your card, of course they'll cancel it right away. When you tell them you're
going out of town for good, there's really no reason for them to keep your name in the computer so they just completely
delete you. When Chris goes in the store to check out a movie, his name won't show up anywhere as if he never even had a
membership there and he has to apply for a card again, which is, in my opinion, a pain in the ass.
Make sure to call up all the video stores. If you want to be really mean, you can cancel his mom and dad's cards too.
That way he won't be able to use theirs' either. If he's the type of person to use the library alot, call the library and cancel
his card there, too.
Cancel His Credit Cards:
There's an 800 number for just about every credit card out there that you can use to cancel your card if it's lost or
stolen. Within a few minutes of calling this number, their credit cards will be useless. Just make up a story like, "Yeah, I'm
on vacation here in Seattle and my whole wallet was stolen with my Mastercard in it. Could you cancel that before
someone uses it?" Pretend to be really worried about having to pay for charges you didn't make and so on.
They might want some extra information like the name of the bank which issued your card. You can guess or tell
them you have no idea. (Unless you actually know which bank it is.) The Mastercard dude will want your driver's license
number or social security number sometimes, but tell him you don't know either one because your wallet was stolen,
dammit!
To cancel your Visa, call
1-800-336-8472
To cancel your Mastercard,
1-800-999-0454
For Discover,
1-800-347-2683
If you know of any gas cards he uses, get the numbers to cancel those, too. There's nothing more embarrassing that
filling up your tank with super unleaded gasoline and finding out that all your credit cards, gas cards and ATM card have
been mysteriously reported stolen. Who knows, the clerk might even call the police on him.
Cancel His Phone Cards:
Again, the exact same proceedure. Say you're on vacation and all your calling cards were stolen. All they'll ask for is
your home phone number and the cards are usually disconnected within four hours. Tell the lady that you really never use
that card anyway so there's no need to issue a new one. This way, Chris won't know his cards are bad until he needs to use
them.
U.S.Sprint
1-800-877-4646
AT&T
1-800-662-6214
M.C.I.
1-800-950-5555
Newspaper Classifieds:
Almost every newspaper out there lets you call in the ad you want to have in the paper and then they send you a bill
for it. In other words, it's free. Look in your local paper and judging from the ads that are in there, think up something
that would be a really hot item to sell such as a house for rent. (Houses and cars usually get the best results.)
Call the paper and tell them that you're Chris Tomkinson and you want to put an ad in the paper. Have something
ready like, "Nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath, garage, den, dining room, great neighborhood, $300/month, $200/deposit."
Compare your ad to the others in the "For Rent" section and be sure that yours is the very best deal in there.
As a phone number to call to inquire about the house, leave two. "Call Chris Tomkinson anytime 24 hrs at 635-8312
or 635-9207." The first being his work phone number and the second being his home. Now when an awesome deal like
you've put in the paper is seen, it gets a tremendous response. I'm talkin' about his telephone ringing constantly for two
days straight at the least.
He'll get in BIG trouble with his boss at work for recieving 2 billion calls. Even if he's able to convince his boss that he
wasn't responsible, he'll still look bad. I mean, what would YOUR boss think about all this happening? If he lives with his
parents, he'll probably get in trouble with them too.
Messing With His Phone Service:
My all time favorite, disconnecting his service. First, call the billing office and have his line password protected. This
means that anyone wanting to make any changes in his service will have to give the operator a password that you'll choose.
Sometimes the operator will want to call back and verify that it's really Chris. Tell her that you're never home when they're
open and she'll say "no problem" and ask for his social security number. If you know it, give it to her. If not, go crawl under
something and die or go to the next step.
A few days after you've password protected the line, call the billing office again and tell them that you've moved out of
the house already and you need the phone disconnected. They'll ask you for the password and disconnect the service,
asking where you want the last bill sent to. Give them an address out of state.
Now after Chris's line goes dead he's going to have one hell of a time convincing the billing office to hook it back up
because you've password protected his line. He really has no way of proving that he is who he says he is because he doesn't
have that password. You do.
Harrassing Other People:
You can really get people annoyed at Chris if you call them up about five times a day, state his name and hang up. You
can do this to his employer, his school, his friends, his family, anyone he knows, even the police station or businesses that
he goes to often.
In your spare time when you're bored, pull out your list of phone numbers related to Chris, dial one at random and
when the person on the other end answers say, "Chris Tomkinson", listen for the reply and hang up. Pretty soon people are
going to start to despise that name.
If you know of a store that Chris shops at frequently and writes checks at, call that store a few times a day and say his
name. The clerk will immediately recognize his name when Chris writes him a check and will probably ask him about it.
And I know his boss would get annoyed at ten calls a day that simply state Chris's name and hang up. Pretty soon Chris's
boss is going to be sorry he hired him.
Police Blotter:
Check your newspaper's police blotter and front page every night for a major theft that's occured in the
neighborhood. Something like, car stereos being stolen or maybe a school being broken into and computer equipment
being stolen.
Call the police station from a pay phone. "Hello, I want to make an annonymous call about the theft the other night
involving the car stereo. Uh, I know who the guy is and he's been stealing car stereos and radar detectors ever since I've
known him. I'm just starting to feel sorry for the people he's ripping off and want you to stop him but I don't want him to
know who I am or he'll beat me up." Sound really whiney and nervous, "His name is Chris Tomkinson and he lives at
(wherever). He keeps all the stuff he steals either hidden in his closet or hooked up in his room and most of it all still has
the serial numbers on them..."
You get the idea. The police will want to move in on this horrible criminal and will probably get a search warrant so
they can look for evidence. I did this to one guy and they didn't get a warrant but the kid's mom just let them in his room
while he was at school. They ripped his room apart looking for stolen stereo equipment and didn't find anything. They
created quite a mess from what I heard, though.
The Yellow Pages:
This is probably one of the best things to do and can even become a major news event in your area. You pull out the
'ole phone book and open it up to the yellow pages. Now, starting from the letter "A" and working all the way to "Z" call up
every single business in the book. Set up an appointment with every company in there for (example) Wednesday morning
at about 10:00. Give yourself a few days to do it all and get all the appointment as close together as you can.
You can probably see what's going to happen. Wednesday morning at 10:00 his street is going to be totally filled up
with a truck from every business in the entire area. From exterminators to furnace repair to roofing estimates, they'll all be
there asking for Chris. (Try to make sure he's going to be home when they come.)
On Wednesday morning you'll want to make some calls. At 9:30 call up every pizza delivery place in the area and
have a couple large pizzas sent to Chris. After that, call up all the taxi cabs and instruct them to come to your house to take
you shopping.
Tuesday night you'll also want to make some calls. Every T.V. station and newspaper in the area will want to know
that "something big is going to happen on Sullivan street" in the morning. Don't tell them what, just tell them that they'd
be stupid not to get coverage on something like this. Also call up all your friends and have them call up their friends.
Instruct them all to show up on Sullivan street at about 9:45 am.
As this will be an historical moment, bring a video camera and tape the whole event just in case you're not happy with
the camera work of the T.V. stations. You might want to call in a false report to the fire department that Chris's house is on
fire just to get them there and add to the confusion.
I have done this only on a much smaller scale. I skimmed through the yellow pages and pick out about 30 business to
show up at a victim's house and did the pizza a fire truck thing but the media never got involved. There was quite a traffic
jam on his street with just those few trucks there and I can imagine what it would look like with 10 times more and a
camera crew.
Magazine Subscriptions:
The time-honored tradition of giving Chris a subscription to every magazine that was ever made. Go to your library
and rip out those little subscription cards out of each one. If a librarian asks you what the hell your doing tell her to go piss
up a flagpole and continue your task.
Now take this big stack of cards home and fill them all out in Chris's name and send them in. Almost every one of the
cards will already have the postage paid for so you won't have to worry about the cost of stamps.
Now me, I could care less if someone did that to me. I would get a little pissed off, though, if someone were to use my
name on the subscription cards and send them to my friends or employers. So try this. He'll get a couple issues of each
magazine until they get pissed off that he's not paying for them and stop his subscription. For a few months after that
they'll harass him about paying for the magazines he ordered but he won't get into any kind of trouble because of it.
Some magazines let you use a credit card to pay for the subscription. Use someone else's card and when the owner of
the card gets his bill, they'll investigate it and eventually narrow it down to Chris's address.
Ruin His Credit:
Drive to a city where nobody will know you or Chris. Check yourself into a hospital emergency room complaining of
sudden chest pains and really severe headaches. Before they're able to treat you they'll have you fill out a few hospital
forms. Put your name in there as Chris Tomkinson and use his social security number, address and phone number. If you
can, try to forge his signature if you know what it looks like.
They'll look you over, maybe take a blood sample, an x-ray or two and they'll tell you your fine. After they've done a
lot to you, tell them you're feeling much better and it must have all been in your head. Go home.
In a couple of weeks, the hospital is going to start sending Chris a bill for a couple thousand dollars. (Hospitals are
extremely expensive.) They usually send only two notices before they turn the matter over to a collection agency who will
call Chris every couple days and ask him why he hasn't paid his bill yet. They'll also threaten to "take legal action" and so
on. If Chris tries to explain to them that he never went to that hospital, they'll assume he's lying. They hear that excuse
every day.
Collection agencies are full of shit. They can't really do anything to you except send you notices but when you refuse
to pay them you're screwing up your credit rating. I know a lot about collection agencies seeing as I never pay my bills. I
went to a hospital once for strep throat and they bothered me about it for two years after that.
Hit And Run:
Just like the police blotter deal, find someone who is a victim of a hit and run. Call the person or the police and make
an annonymous report that you were there when it happened and you saw the license plate on the car. Give them Chris'
plate number.
Mail Forwarding:
There's a million little tricks you can play on people with those mail forwarding cards you get at the post office. Here
are some ideas.
Forward all of Chris's mail to London, England.
Forward all of Chris's grandparents mail to Chris's house.
Forward all of Chris's mail to his place of employment. His boss will get really irked when Chris starts recieving mail
there.
Forward his best friend's mail to Chris's home.
Forward his mail to his school.
Forward his mail to the police station.
Forward his boss's mail to Asia.
Have AT&T Investigate Him:
Using a stolen calling card number, call Chris constantly at his home from a pay phone and keep him on the line as
long as you can. Only call Chris with this card. When AT&T sees that he's getting all these fraudulent calls, they'll ask him
about it. Just make sure you don't call from your own phone even once or you'll get into trouble. Always use a pay phone.
If possible, use remote call forwarding and forward Chris's number to a number you'd like to call only dial "0" first so
you have to enter a calling card. This will make it seem as if the card were used from his home.
Junk Mail:
Add Chris to as many mailing lists as you possibly can. Whenever you see a business advertise, "Free Information!"
call them and give them Chris's address and phone number. He'll recieve oodles and oodles of junk mail and they'll always
call him trying to sell him something. Get as many companies involved as you can. Pretty soon they'll be delivering his
junk mail in a garbage truck!
Gifts:
Everyone loves a gift, even older relatives. Find out the names and addresses of all of Chris's older relatives. Look in
the back of a Cosmopolitan or nudie magazines at all the fun, sexual items you can order with a credit card. Send grandma
a vibrator, grandpa a penis extender. Send his girlfriend some kind of sex cream "from Chris" and she'll get mad and break
up with him. (Either that or she'll fuck his brains out.) Also, send Chris's parents some items to liven up their sex life and
see if they appreciate it.
Oh, and don't forget Chris's boss. He needs to be a member of the Gay Rights Club or maybe needs some instructional
videos on sex education. His teachers at school could probably use the same thing. When asked who it's to be sent to, give
them his boss's name and tell them to put it "c/o Chris McCall" just to be sure he knows who's responsible.
The Bank Account:
This works the same way that the credit card canceling thing works. Find out which bank Chris uses and call them.
Tell them you're away on vacation and your Aunt just informed you that your house had been broken into. The thieves
took all of your banking stuff including your checkbooks, savings passbook, and ATM card.
They'll immediately put a "freeze" on his account and he'll have to go through extra steps when he tries to withdraw
and money. If he writes a check it probably will bounce and if he tries to use his ATM card the machine will eat it and he
won't get it back until he's cleared up things with the bank.
The Church Of Jesus Crust:
They have this handy 800 hotline where you can call in and tell them you'd like to speak to someone about religion.
They ask you your address and send in one of their goons to your house to talk to you and start sending you all this
religious junk mail. And Chris will probably appreciate the free bible. We all know how persistant and annonying these
people can be so give them a call! The phone number is 1-800-952-3131.
Call Forwarding:
Order call forwarding to his line. Then, by whatever means you have to, forward his calls to somebody that you know
would trace the call, such as TWA Airlines, The White House, local 911, etc. For this example, let's say we forwarded his
calls to TWA which is 1-800-221-2000.
Now constantly call up his number over and over and you'll reach the airlines. Harrass the reservation lady to death
and keep claiming that you've put a bomb on one of their airplanes. Do this over and over and stay on the line for a long
time. Pretty soon, they're going to trace the call back to Chris's house and he'll probably get arrested.
Even better would be to beige box into his line and call a lot of different numbers all night and threaten them all. In
the morning he'll have accusations coming from all different difrections.
Fun Things To Do To Stupid Neighbors:
This last section of this file was written by someone named Delta Burke. Some of the ideas were so funny and creative
that I just had to include them.
This little article is for everyone out there who has a next door neighbor who is, in your mind, the worlds biggest
asshole. I have neighbors that fit into this catergory perfectly. You know the ones, stereo up louder than hell in the middle
of the night, water their lawn during a drought, etc... Well take heart, because I have just the answer for such idiots.
1) Next time they go away on vacation, or even for just the weekend, call the utility company, Ma Bell (or whoever the
phone co is.), and the cable company. Using their name (obviously), tell them to shut off the respective utilities, since
your are going on a trip for about a month. Most of the time, they wont ask for any other info except for phone number.
If they ask for anything else, just hangup quickly and forget it as it isn't too easy to explain why you dont know your
own social security number. If all works well (and it usually does), they will come home to a fridge full of bad food, plus
no heat or air conditioning and no cable tv and phone. Pretty nice, huh?
2) If they leave on vacation, and you are a hacker/phreak/BBS'er, here is your chance for free phone calls to
everywhere! Simply go into their yard and locate their phone box. Using your lineman's phone (or a regular phone with
alligator clips instead of a modular plug), find the active phone line inside the box. Run a shit load of wire back to your
house, thru your window, etc... Install a modular plug on your end and plug it into your modem. Now make all the long
distance calls you want. Don't worry, those of your with a heart, the neighbor's wont get billed for the calls after they call
Ma Bell and claim that they didnt make them. Most of the time they will let you off the hook.
3) One night, after the neighborhood is asleep, sneak over into the target's yard. Proceed to turn on ONE faucet,
so that water is gushing out all over the place. The value of this joke is that the target's water bill will be outrageous
after about 3-4 nights of this, especially during drought season.
4) If you have the asshole neighbor who has the stereo on LOUD at all hours and the police wont do shit (what else is
new), here is the solution. Sneak into the yard, and find the breakerbox. If the stereo is up this loud, they wont hear you
in the yard. Locate the switch that matches the room that the stereo is in. Or the closest to. Flip the switch and run like
hell back to the house. Or if you are more daring, sit in the bushes or something and watch them come out. Most of
the time, it will take doing this 2-3 times before they turn down the stereo.But its worth it when you have to sleep.
5) Do your neighbor's have a barking dog? If so, heres the solution.
A) Call the pound repeatedly, using another neighbor's name and address, but your number. Call at least twice a
night for about a week. The complaints will stack up, and the target's will most likely have to pay a healthy fine.
B) Get a package of hot dogs and any kind of medicine that induces shitting, like Exlax(you will have to melt it
down). Pour the secret agent shit inducing substance on the hot dogs, then toss them over the fence to the dog. If it is a
small dog, I suggest throwing one at a time as little dogs don't eat as much as big dogs. Spot or Fido or whatever the hell
his name is will be shitting EVERYWHERE for days. Loads of fun for the target.
6) Kill their lawn. This can be achieved with any kind of poison, paint thinner, or even piss. Simply pour as much of
the stuff as you can all over•the lawn and wait a few days to a week. Lovely brown spots will start to show. Nice effect.
Try writing words with paint thinner.
7) Do they have a CB radio that interferes with your tv? Use the old standby. When they are not home, sneak over
and shove large straight pins into the coaxial cable to the antenna. Next time Joe Dickhead keys up will be his last time.
This easy trick works due to the fact that it shorts the cable together. When he keys up, it will blow the CB right off the
table.
8) Do they park in your driveway or in front of it? My neighbors have teenage kids who have teenage friends
who parked in front of the driveway. I fixed that by taking some large nails (about 4 inches long) and placed them on
each side of their tires at a 45 degree angle. Two per side, heads on pavement, points to tires. When they drive off,
instant flats on all four tires. Try to get them to not park there asking first. If they don't care to listen, then use the nail
trick.
9) Other easy and annoying tricks:
Use JB Weld or any other metal weld substance on their mailbox door.
Unscrew all the light bulbs on the outside of their house just enough so they won't light.
If they have an annoying cat, capture it and take it about 10 miles away from where you live and let it go.
Get some cow or horse shit and place it in a large paper bag. Place on porch and light on fire. Then ring door bell.
If they have a hot tub or pool, get some goldfish and place them in it.
If you can get some lake or river fish, they work even better.
Place small rocks inside the hubcaps on their most used car. The effect is awesome. They will go crazy from the
sound.
If you get into their car, place a heavy guage jumper wire from the horn•to the brake switch behind the pedal. The
result is the horn honking everytime they step on the brake pedal. A sure fire winner.
If you are daring, capture a skunk and let it loose in their yard. Just think about the fun this one can make.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #004
Trashing & Looting Bell Trucks
Written On July 23, 1993 - Last Revision on July 12, 1994
Trashing:
While it may not seem very appealing to go digging around in grimey dumpsters, it actually gets some really great
results if you know what to look for. In the past I've gotten phone company "how-to" manuals, newsletters, credit card
receipts, obsecure phone numbers, a whole shitload of phone company personell records, and other useful items.
So next time you're bored at night, all the bbses are busy and you have nothing better to do, get some old clothes on,
grab a flashlight, sneak out of the house and head for the nearest dumpster. You may be happy with what you find. Here's
some basic information that I feel would be important for the novice trasher:
Checklist of What To Bring:
[] Old jeans, old shirt, old shoes, preferably all dark.
[] A flashlight or lighter.
[] Small gym bag to put items in.
Checklist of What Not To Bring:
[] Your mother or father. (Or any family member)
[] Your laptop computer
[] A gun and/or ski mask
[] A cactus
What To Look For:
Start from one side of the dumpster and kind of work your way over to the other side looking at everything you
encounter and for pete's sake, don't throw the stuff you don't want out of the dumpster as that might look suspicious if a
cop drove by.
Keep your bag by you and try not to bury it in the rubbish. If you're in a phone company dumpster, you usually don't
have to worry about stepping in anything disgusting since their dumpsters seem to only have paper in them. Look for
anything that appeals to you-- pieces of paper with phone numbers or passwords written on them, receipts (especially for
credit cards), company records, phone bills, anything that you think you shouldn't have, take it
Where To Trash:
Trashing can be done just about anywhere and the rewards vary wherever you go. In some places such as phone
company dumpsters, look out for surveilence cameras. If they see you in the dumpster they'll call the cops on you.
* Video Stores (Get account information to check out videos with other people's accounts. Also maybe a computer
dialup number.)
* Conveinence Stores (Every few months most of them throw away huge boxes of credit card receipts.)
* Cellular Dealerships (Lodes of information.)
* Phone Company Buildings (Endless possibilities.)
* Residents (By stealing your neighbor's trash you can learn a lot about them. Handy for blackmail purposes and
ruining lives.)
* Coffee Shops (FREE coffee grinds and wet paper!!!)
What If...
If a cop somehow sees you in there and asks you to explain yourself, tell him you're looking for alluminum cans or
other recycleable material. If you live in a more populated area and look scroungy enough, tell him you're homeless and
looking for food. That way you won't have to give any I.D. either. One thing I've done a few times is bring a small trash bag
of crushed soda cans with me to back up my story of looking for aluminum cans.
If you're happily looking through a bunch of secret stuff and the garbage truck shows up and starts lifting the
dumpster in the air, you're basically fucked. You'll land in the back of his truck and probably be crushed to death and
nobody will ever find your body. This has never happened to me yet, but I've always been paranoid that it would.
Tips:
Bring a friend and a couple of 2-way radios. Have the friend sit somewhere out of sight and if a cop or anyone comes
near the dumpster, he can radio you to sit tight and shut up until their gone.
It probably wouldn't be a good idea to go trashing in the middle of the day. For one thing, employees are constantly
comming out to throw trash in the dumpster and that could get pretty messy for you. Also, you're more likely to be seen in
the daytime. So stick to nights and you should do okay.
Phone companies usually lock their dumpsters. (Go figure) Sometimes it's merely a chain and lock over the top of the
dumpster which does no good since you can just jump on the plastic lid and fall right into the dumpster. (Getting out is
another story.) If you get caught by the wrong cop, he can take you in and you could get charged with trespassing so be
careful and don't get caught.
"Sorry, sir, we were just trying to find some wire for our science fair project, but as there appears to be nothing here
but coffee grounds and cigarette ashes, we had better get going. Have a nice day!" -Karl Marx
Bell Truck Looting:
As common as Bell truck looting is, you'd think that they'd have the sense to lock their trucks, especially at night time
but they always seem to leave at least one of their compartments open. By looting Bell & GTE trucks, you can obtain all
kinds of neat stuff like Bell hard hats, tool belts, lineman hand sets, lots of useless documents and all kinds of cool Bell
devices that you have abolutely no use for. It's just cool to "own" Bell stuff, ya know?
You can either loot a truck at night when all the trucks are parked for the night or you can do it in the middle of the
day while a truck is parked somewhere while the Bell dude is inside someplace doing some work.
Ordering A Bell Truck Yourself:
An interesting idea by Zak was to call in some kind of fake order for a business and wait around for the Bell truck to
show up. When the truck got there and the guy went inside, it's yours!
Call up the Bell repair center or billing office and arrange for them to come to a business of your choice. Try and get a
specific time for them to be there (like between 12 noon and 3pm) so you don't have to wait for them all day from 9am to
5pm. Write down when they'll be there.
Now call up the business you ordered repair for and tell them that a Bell representative will be stopping by tomorrow
at (whenever) to check out the lines. Hang around the business until your truck gets there and when he does, have a friend
go inside and wander around, keeping an eye on the Bell guy while keeping in touch with you on a 2-way radio so he can
warn you if he's coming out. Meanwhile, you'll be looting the truck.
Nighttime Looting:
Looting a truck at night is probably the most common. Find the Bell building, go there at night and start checking the
trucks for unlocked compartments. Like I said, there's always a few of them open. Ask Zak, he knows. It'd probably be a
good idea to carry your handy police scanner with you so you'll know if someone spots you and calls the police.
In some of the bigger cities the Bell buildings have night rent-a-cops, so watch out for those guys. You never know
what they'll pull. They might say, "I've told you a million times not to loot my Bell trucks so I have no alternative but to tell
you once again not to loot my Bell trucks!"
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #005
How To Bill All Of your Fone Calls To Some Poor,
Unsuspecting Son Of A Bitch
Written On July 7, 1993 - Last Revision on May 13, 1995
So there I was stranded in Miami with a broken red box in one hand and an outdated list of calling card numbers in
the other hand. Just as I was about ready to jump to my death in the ocean because I couldn't call my friends, I got an idea.
Third-party bill my calls to random names in the phone book!
Of course, I started out using this method on pay phones which is a pain in the ass because the operator wants to call
up the number you're billing to and make sure it's okay with them first. So here's your detailed instructions for simplified
third-party billing. Oh, and by the way, in no way am I claiming to be the elite guy who "discovered" third party. I mean,
come on, third party billing's been around forever and some guy said I shouldn't take credit for something that's been
done forever. I'm just trying to explain how easy it is. Sheesh, some people! Cactus.
Finding A Number To Use:
First of all, if you're going to be calling from home, it's best to charge the calls to a different area code than your own.
Sure, a local number will work but when the people get their phone bill and see a local number on it, they'll most likely call
it to find out what it is. When they see a long distance number they think "Goodness gracious! If I call that number my
phone bill will even be higher." Even if they do call you, you can just play ignorant and if they're far away they probably
won't come looking for you.
Pick a city, any city. The city should be far away in another state. Now dial local information and ask for the area code
to your city. Let's say you picked Waverly, Iowa. The area code is 319. Now dial 1-319-555-1212 to call Waverly Directory
Assisstance. The charge for this call should only be about sixty cents.
Now think of a very common last name like Smith, Lawrence, Conner, Mitchell, Shlappenheimerwinthrop, etc. You
get the idea.
OPER: Directory Assisstance, Betty. What city, please?
YOU: Waverly.
OPER: Go ahead.
YOU: I need the number of a last name Conner.
OPER: (type, type, type) Okay I have two Conners listed. A Bob and an initial H.
YOU: Bob, yeah that's it. Definately Bob. Bob it is. Gimmie Bob. Yeah, Bob.
OPER: The number is 452-0357.
So that's the number you'll bill to. 319-452-0357. Of course if you're planning to do this extensively you'll need many
more numbers to pick from. That's when you call up the phone company and ask for a phone book to be delivered to you
so you'll have a whole list of numbers to choose from. A normal book will cost about $7.00 or so. If you know how to do it
right, it won't cost you anything but I won't get into that. The phone book will pay for itself after about 3 or 4 long distance
calls.
Exchange List:
If you don't want to go through all the trouble of doing the above, here's a list of exchanges you can pick from. I'm
including the area code and prefix. You just make up four numbers after that at random.
618-254-xxxx 409-744-xxxx 213-962-xxxx 505-398-xxxx
318-981-xxxx 314-231-xxxx 513-741-xxxx 503-255-xxxx
803-254-xxxx 319-452-xxxx 618-377-xxxx 512-441-xxxx
Making The Call:
Pretty easy. Dial 0-AREA CODE-NUMBER. You'll hear a cool Bell tone and the automated voice will ask you to enter
your card number. Press "0" to skip that part. Recently, they came out with automated third number billing so you don't
have to deal with a live operator anymore. Isn't technology great?! The automated voice will ask you to "say" how you want
to bill your call. Just say, "third number" and it'll ask you to touch tone in the number you want to charge it to. Dial 319452-0357 and presto, your call is completed.
If you get a live operator instead say, "I'd like to charge this to my home telephone in Waverly, Iowa, the Turnip
capitol of the world." and follow the same proceedure.
Some of the more intelligent people (about 2%) put a third-number block on their line. If this happens the recording
will say, "This call cannot be billed to this number." Solution? Hang up, redial the number and try billing it to a different
number or just transpose a couple of the numbers you just tried.
If you don't have AT&T as your long distance carrier, dial 10288-0-NUMBER.
Calling From A Pay Phone:
As I mentioned before, doing it from a pay phone is a little harder but still works. The operator will want to call the
person you're billing to a verify with them that it's okay to bill it there.
The trick is to open the phone book at the pay phone and pick a number at random. Look for an old person's name
because they're the most gullible but anyone will do. Let's say you picked Christian Slater 213-962-7142. Dial your number
as 0-AREA CODE-NUMBER and hit "0" after the tone.
OPER: AT&T, How may I help you?
YOU: I want to charge this to my home phone.
OPER: Will someone be there to accept the charges?
YOU: Who wants to know?
OPER: Me.
YOU: Okay, then, tough guy.
OPER: What is your name?
YOU: Christian Slater, you may have heard of me.
OPER: (dials 213-962-7142. A lady answers the phone. Probably Slater's wife.)
LADY: Hello?
OPER: Hello, this is AT&T. Christian is making a call from a public phone and wishes to bill the call to you. Will you
accept the charges?
LADY: Oh, yeah, okay. I'll accept.
And the operator thanks you and puts your call through. As long as you don't get any of the following responses you
should be okay:
"Huh? But I'M Christian Slater."
"Calling from a pay phone?? But he's right here with me watching Cheers!?"
"Christian died last week."
"No Hablo Engles??"
A Few Extra Notes:
Sometimes if the no one is home at the number you're trying to bill to, you can convince the operator that it's really
you're number if you know what the answering machine message is going to say and if you can do an impression of their
voice on the machine. Even a bad impression will sometimes work.
When doing this from home, try not to use the same number more than two or three times so the owner of the
number will be less likely to investigate.
I've experienced third-party billing from both sides. Someone charged forty dollars worth of calls to my dad's phone
and the operators were very unhelpful and unfriendly. They refused to investigate even though it was coming from a
residential line and it took two months to get the charges removed. This was back in 1990 but I've been doing this for a few
years now and people don't seem to care too much at a few calls totaling to under ten bucks. I've actually called the people
I used and asked them about it and they almost always blow it off as a "minor nusience."
AT&T is completely automated from your home and the best to use. U.S.Sprint is the second best because they're not
automated but they also don't call and verify. M.C.I. sucks because they're losers who verify no matter what so don't use
them. To choose your company, before you dial the number dial 10288 for AT&T or 10333 for U.S. Sprint.
International calls will be verified no matter what from pay phone or home. Hope this file benefits everyone who
reads it. It'll sure cut your long distance bill down a lot.
May 13, 1995 Update:
Well, it seems that AT&T are finally waking up to this problem of third party billing...On my local phone bill I was
backbilled for $175 worth of third party calls. The kicker part is that I called the phone company and complained that
there were all these extra charges on my bill that I know nothing about and they were more than happy to take the charges
off. A few weeks later, I got a letter from AT&T concerning some more charges...
Dear Customer,
We are sending you this letter to advise you of the long distance calls we have billed your account. The amount is
$53.70, excluding taxes. These long distance calls have been investigated by our Message Analysis Center and were
determined to be your responsibility. A list of these calls will appear on a future bill. If you would like to discuss this
matter, please contact our office toll-free at 1-800-522-2157, ext. 4737. Our ofice hours are Moday through Friday between
the hours of 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Sincerely,
Dawn Brooks
Investigator
I've yet to hear anything more about this but I plan to just ignore the extra charges on the bill and complain to the
phone company and hopefully I won't have to pay. If I do, oh well, it's only fifty bucks.
Another recent happening is that two people I know have been back billed. Martini from Illinois was charged $75 on
her bill. "I don't understand what this third number means, sir, I only have two lines!" Also, an idiot in Oregon was back
billed because he had the intelligence to bill to the exact same number every single time. Worse yet, the number was in
Canada and it was a non-working number and the last four digits were 1234. What a cool guy!
Operator Diverting:
A new safe way to get around being back billed is to operator divert before you get AT&T. It's a pain in the ass and
takes a little longer, but it works if you really need to call from home and don't have any other way.
Dial "0" and ask that operator to dial 1-800-225-5288 for you. (AT&T) Tell the AT&T operator that you want to place
a 3rd party billed call. She'll ask what number you're calling from and you give her the number of somebody that you don't
like so it'll come back on them and not you. Whatever you do, don't give her your real phone number.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-370-4680 PLA Voicemail System
314-995-1261 Zak's VMB System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET
directory pub\deadkat\phreaking\PLA
(Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
E-Mail:
Internet: rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact RBCP or Colleen Card)
cactus@basenet.net (To contact Zak a.k.a. el_jefe)
MajorNet: RedBoxChiliPepper@MMN (Guess)
Issue #006
Totally Free Cash In The Mail From AT&T!
Written On February 23, 1993 - Last Revision On December 27, 1994
Are you jobless? Need a little extra cash for the weekend? Have a girlfriend that spends all of your money? Well,
AT&T operators are always more than happy to mail you a check or two for a good five bucks each. If you've ever called up
the operator and tried to convince her that you lost your quarter then you know that they hardly ever put the call through
for you. They'll always send you a check in the mail for 25 cents.
Well, this method also works on long distance and international calls just as well. A long distance call can run you up
to $2.75 and I think the most expensive international call I've found is $9.65. If you tell the operator you lost all this
money, she'll happily refund your money. Here's how the conversation usually goes with me:
You go to a pay phone. It HAS to be a pay phone, they're not THAT stupid. I dial the numbers 102880 which gives
me the AT&T operator. (For those of you with short memories, dial 10ATT0.)
THEM: "AT&T, this is Mrs. Papshmeer, how may I help you?"
YOU: "Yeah, I was making an international call using my spare pocket change that I stole by breaking open a Pepsi
machine on 86th Street and the phone went dead and kept all my money. Could you try the call for me?"
THEM: "I'm really sorry about that, sir. Our policy won't let me put the call through for you but I can refund the
money to you in the mail."
YOU: "Okay, I guess I can do that, then."
THEM: "Alright how much money did you lose?"
YOU: "Um...$5.65."
THEM: "What happened when you placed this call?"
YOU: "Well, I dialed the number and the operator had me deposit $3.00 of my money. Then my party answered and
she had me deposit the other $2.65. As soon as I put in the rest of my money the phone went completely dead."
THEM: "Alright, what number were you dialing?"
YOU: "Country code 61, city code 2 and the number was 667-3603."
THEM: "Okay, I need your name, address and zip code."
YOU: "(I give her my name address and zip code.)"
THEM: "We'll have that to you in the mail in about two weeks. Sorry about your trouble."
YOU: "Thank you. You have a hell of a day now!"
We hang up. About two weeks later I recieve a letter from AT&T's office in Jacksonville, Florida with a letter of
apology and a check for $5.65. Simple as that. Of course, I usually do 2 to 3 calls a week so my checks add up to about $10
to $15 a week.
Some Important Notes:
First of all, you HAVE to know how much your international call is going to cost. If you give them a wrong amount
you're in for some extra hassel and they sometimes won't give you your refund.
Also, I described in the conversation AT&T's method of completing an international call using coins and this is how
it's always done. If you don't know how a call is made, the operator will know something's fishy. The phone will only hold
$3.00 at a time.
Third, you don't want to keep using the same international numbers over and over again. Call me crazy, but I just
don't think it's a good idea. Below, I'll tell how to do all this:
The (Dramatic Pause...) Letter I Got:
For awhile in Indianapolis, Indiana I was doing pretty well with AT&T cash. I was actually considering it my second
source of income because I was pulling in around $70 a week with it. Then in October of 1993 I got a letter from AT&T
which read:
Dear (My real name):
Our records indicate a large number of coin refund requests. In light of this history, we cannot provide a refund until
AT&T investigates and verifies this claim. As part of this investigation, please provide us with the written detail of the call
and circumstances in which you lost your money. Please mail your explanation to: Coin Refund Investigation Unit
P. O. Box 561615
Charlotte, NC 28256-1615
It's been over a year now and I never really heard from them again. Their "investigation" probably consisted of sitting
on their asses and waiting for my reply. Of course I didn't send them one and since then I've moved out of state and
continue to recieve a moderate amount of AT&T money.
Divirting Addresses:
After the AT&T Letter incident, I aquired a check cashing card at the supermarket under a false name and then sent
in a post office "Change Of Address" card to Baton Rouge and diverted the mail at a certain address under my fake name
to my post office box in Indianapolis. When AT&T asked for the address to send the check to, I gave them the address in
Baton Rouge and it was forwarded to me in Indianapolis. So I still got my AT&T cash. They just didn't know it.
Getting An International Number:
You can get a number a few ways. One is to look in the front of your phone book and find the page on completing
international calls. All the major country and city codes are in there. You can just make up a number of random using a
country and city code and then a bunch of numbers. Keep in mind, though, that foriegn countries numbers aren't all 7
digits like ours are.
Look up Airlines in your yellow pages. Call the 800 number for any airline you want and say you want a time table for
Egypt or any country you choose. They'll take your name & address and send you some useless flight schedule junk.
Somewhere in this little booklet is a whole page of international numbers. Use them, one by one...
Call up a phone book ordering office like Ameritech or Dontech and order a phone book from a far away place like
Australia or Belgium. You can have them send you a bill with it which you will ignore or you can charge it to somebody
else's phone number. Never give them your real name or phone number unless you actually want to pay for it. (You honest
person, you...)
The last way is to choose from the below list that I have provided for you. The first few numbers are the country code,
second numbers are the city code and the last few are the phone number. Use these to start your new hobby.
London, England 44 071 633-9293
Paris, France 33 1 4359-0034
Frankfort, Germany 49 69 291-001
Nice, France 33 93 82-5284
Barcelona, Spain 34 3 318-8443
Madrid, Spain 34 1 559-5620
Rome, Italy 39 6 321-0822
Stockholm, Sweden 46 8 113613
Tel Aviv, Israel 972 3 528-9660
Zurich, Switzerland 41 1 261-1800
Brussels, Belgium 32 2 640-1900
Bangkok, Thailand 66 2 231-0113
Finding Out How Much Your Call Costs:
Let's say that you picked a number in England. The country code is 44 and the city code is 462 which is Letchworth
Hertz. The phone number is 682-734. Go to your pay fone and dial: 011-44-462-682-734.
An operator will come on and ask how you're paying for your call. Tell her with coins. (Or, to piss her off, nickels.)
She'll tell you your call will come to $4.65 for the first minute. That's all you need out of her so tell her to go to hell and
hang up. You now know that your call is worth $4.65 and that's how much you tell the AT&T operator for your refund.
How They Complete International Calls:
So let's say that you were really going to make that call. She would tell you the call costs $4.65 and for you to deposit
$3.00 now. You put in three bucks worth of quarters and you hear the phone start ringing over there in England. (Real
funky ring, too!) As soon as the dude in England answers, the operator says to him, "This is AT&T, I have an international
call. Please hold..." Then she tells you to put in the other $1.65. After you do that, she gets off the line and you're connected
to England for a whole three minutes until a recording pops back up on the line and asks you for four more bucks.
The reason you put the three in first is because the phone can only handle three bucks at a time. The refund operator
knows this and tries to throw you off by asking what happened when you tried to complete your call. NOW you know what
to tell her.
I guess that's about all you need to know to get lots and lots of money from AT&T. Since the amount of the check is so
small you can usually convince the bank or a supermarket to cash it for you with no I.D. so sometimes you don't even have
to use your real name on the check. I always do, though. Hope you find this as helpful as I do when I'm real low on cash. If
nothing, it should piss your parents off. Cactus.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Data Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #007
Numbers To Call When You're Bored Out Of Your Skull
Written On November 19, 1994 - Last Revision On January 5, 1995
So you've learned a billion new neat-o ways to phreak and make phree calls and you have all of this spare time on
your hands and you can't think of anyone to call? In this file I'm including a majority of the strange and unusual phone
numbers that I've collected over the years for you to call. Please keep in mind that this isn't a list of places to cactus (except
maybe for some of the people in the Loser List), just a list of numbers for you to call when you're bored or have some time
to blow. Harrassment is optional.
Included are payphones, businesses, people who need to have the hell bugged out of them, weirdos, phreaks,
dweebies, sluts, security personell, etc. If you have any other numbers to add to this list, please contact me and I MIGHT
just add the number to the list. Have fun! This list will be updated frequently.
Pay Phones:
Albany General Hospital, Albany, Oregon..<I> - - -503-926-9072
Amtrack Train Station - Los Angeles, California - - - 213-972-9618, 9812, 9813, 9601
Arco Gas, Castillo Street, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9026
Alpine Motel, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9226
Antigue Botique (Next To Stop 'N Go), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9274
Andrea's Seafood Restaurant, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9117, 9129
Arlington Theater..(MEN'S ROOM), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9185
Arlington Theater..(LADIES' ROOM), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9181
Aloha Restaurant (Carillo Street), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-963-9911
Blue Sands Motel (South Milpas), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9088
Beach Burger, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9151, 9143
Bob's Big Boy, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9046
Breakwater Restaurant (Santa Barbara Harbor), Santa Barbara, CA...805-965-9153
Carrows Restuarant - Portland, Oregon..<I>.<H> - - - 503-256-9428, 9437
City Hall Max Train Stop, Portland, Oregon..<O> - - - 503-666-9904, 9898
Chuck's Steak House, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9077
City College Cafeteria (INSIDE), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9258, 9206
City College Cafeteria (OUTSIDE), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9269
Colonial Motel, 206 Castillo, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9292
Cory's Auto Parts, Carillo & San Andres, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9386
College, Michigan..(Lower level, East hall)..<I> - - - 517-774-2934
College, Michigan..(Lobby of Barnes Hall)....<I> - - - 517-774-2935
Conoco Gas Station - Farmington, New Mexico..<O> - - - 505-327-7012,2910
CottonWood Mall-Glen Carbon, Illinois...(By movie Theater)..<I> - - - 618-656-9717
Dean O's Pizza, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9226
Dance Across Texas Club - Austin, Texas....<O> - - - 512-416-9900,9901
Eastgate Cinema - East Alton, Illinois...(In the lobby).<I> - - - 618-254-7178
Employment Office, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9193
Educated Car Wash, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9044
Elephant Bar, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-967-9026, 9182
Fiesta 4 Theater <I>, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9983, 9904
Fiesta 4 Theater <O>, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9287
Fred Meyer's - Portland, Oregon (Front Entrance)..<I> - - - 503-774-9301, 9023
Fred Meyer's - Portland, Oregon (Side Entrance)...<I> - - - 503-774-9413, 9402
Golf And Fun, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9231
Grandda Theater, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9118
Greyhound Bus Station <I>, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9111, 9447
Greyhound Bus Station <O>, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9180, 9172
Gateway Transit Center, Portland, Oregon...<O> - - - 503-256-8041
Harry's Plaza, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9032
Holiday Motel, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9028
Henry's Beach, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9160, 9161
Hollywood Transit Center - Portland, Oregon..<O> - - - 503-280-9346
Jatzen Beach Mall - Portland, Oregon...(By Binyon's).<I> - - - 503-283-9326, 9153
Jatzen Beach Mall - Portland, Oregon...(By Ice Cream Store) - - - 503-283-9324, 9319
Jatzen Beach Mall - Portland, Oregon...(By Radio Shack).<I> - - - 503-283-9096, 9037
Lafayette Square Cinema - Indianapolis, Indiana..(In Lobby)..<I> - - - 317-297-0294
Lafayette Square Mall - Indianapolis, Indiana (By Theater) - - - 317-290-0229, 0231
Lloyd Center Mall - Portland, Oregon (Meier & Frank)..<I> - - - 503-249-9423, 9424
Los Banos Del Mar Public Pool, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9325, 9427
Lloyd Center Mall - Portland, Oregon (Nordstrom's) - - - 503-249-9910, 9911, 9939
Milpas Laundromat, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9168
Moby Dick's Restaurant (Stearns Wharf), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9462, 9429
Marina Beach Motel, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9243
Max Mart Deli - Portland, Oregon.............<O> - - - 503-256-8025
Nick's Bar (Cliff & Meigs), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9479
Pine & Broadway - Highland, Illinois..(Near a couple of bars).<O> - - - 618-654-9044
PDX Portland International Airport - Portland, Oregon - - - 503-249-9017, 9845, 9429
PDX " " " - Portland, Oregon..(lots of people around)....<I> - - - 503-249-9805
Raddison Hotel - Austin, Texas.....<I> - - - 512-477-0114, 0619, 0621, 0118, 0602
Ramada Inn South - Austin, Texas..(Home of HoHoCon '94).<I> - - - 512-445-9070, 9068
Reynold's High School - Troutdale, Oregon.....<I> - - - 503-666-9806
Rusty's Pizza, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9217
Sheraton Hotel - Austin, Texas...(By pool area)..<I> - - - 512-478-0113, 0126
St. Francis Hospital, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9081
Santa Barbara Raquetball Club, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9284, 9257
Sonny's Pizza, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9057
Sears, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9040, 9031, 9019
Tides Motel, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9056
Transit Center, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9165
Train Station, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9122, 9123
Texaco, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9267
Thrifty Gas, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9375, 9365
Skate Across Texas - Austin, Texas..(Call in evening)..<O>........512-447-5283
Wedge Motomart - Highland, Illinois.(Indoor pay phone by counter) - - - 503-654-9075
Winchell's Donuts, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-687-9121
West Beach, Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9080, 9038
Winchell's Donuts (Milpas & Yanonali), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-963-9904
Wood River Donut Shop - Wood River, Illinois..(Talk to cops!).<I> - - - 618-254-7214
7-Eleven (Castillo Street), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9286, 9156
7-Eleven (Cliff Drive), Santa Barbara, CA - - - 805-965-9042
Handy pay phone code list:
<I>=Indoor phone <O>=Outdoor phone <H>=Lots of people usually around this fone.
The Loser List:
April The Slut - Portland, Oregon - - - 503-657-7313 or 503-294-8720 or 503-635-8128
Beth Pierce - Portland, Oregon..(My old apartment manager) - - - 503-253-3855
Keith & Trudy Brown..(An uptight, short-tempered couple) - - - 618-377-1319
Rob Walker..(How's the 'ol phone bill doin', Rob?) - - - 503-760-2699
Siras Alwahya - Portland, Oregon..(aka The Italian Sausage) - - - 503-650-6979
Dick Ahlers..(Call and ask for his son, Todd aka Mr. Canoehead) - - - 618-931-4402
Chris Tomkinson..(Tell him his videos are overdue) - - - 309-454-2725
Chris Tomkinson's parents.....(Tell them Chris is in jail) - - - 618-258-3147
Red Lion Hotel - Austin, Texas...(These people CANCELED HoHoCon 1994 on us for no reason! So let 'em have it!) - - 512-323-5466
Jason Phillips - Wood River, Illinois - - - 618-254-2442
Danny Colwell - Granite City, Illinois - - - 618-931-2414
Clifton Peters - Portland, Oregon...(His VMB) - - - 503-306-9243
Adam Knight (Listens to country... Call him "Poonix" and stand back. Call him fat too!) - - - 512-852-0389 & 512-8532168
Alex Digerlando.(Thinks he is a werewolf & has FUNKY ans.machine) - - - 908-273-2168
Albert Bachman..("I can see you through your window.") - - - 908-273-2544
Curt Zimmerman..(Tell him you "got the stuff") - - - 908-277-3589
Antony Lickteig..(Talk to his family: Ask for Mark & Stephen.) - - - 512-991-2837
Kevin Christmas...(Totally fucked up BBS bitch.) - - - 512-855-2043
Some Woman...(Called RBCP at 3:00am. Ask for Jonnie.) - - - 512-289-5981
Lahr-Well Academy Private School....(Ask For Jason Crews) - - - 618-288-8024
Phillip Wool - Belleville, Illinois...(A wanna-be hacker) - - - 618-397-7729
Some of the people listed here just deserve to have the shit bugged out of them and others are just so freakin' airheaded that you HAVE to mess with them. In your spare time you can annoy these people with collect calls or calling cards
or whatever. I especially encourage the destruction of April, a prostitute with AIDS who has unprotected sex with a
different guy nightly. A murderer, nothing less.
TDD (TTY) Phones:
Oregon Relay Service - - - 800-735-2900
Texas Relay Service - - - 800-735-2989
Illinois Relay Service - - - 800-526-0844
Ohio Relay Service - - - 800-750-0750
Missouri Relay Service - - - 800-735-2966
New Mexico Relay Service - - - 800-659-8331
Arizona Relay Service - - - 800-842-4681
Iowa Relay Service - - - 800-735-2942
Florida Relay Service - - - 800-955-8771
California Relay Service - - - 800-735-2929
AT&T Directory Asisstance..(Gives you any number in U.S.A. free!) - - - 800-855-1155
911 Emergency in Portland, Oregon - - - 503-760-2212
AIDS Hotline - - - 800-243-7889
These are a lot of fun to play with. For those who don't know, a TDD is a phone for the deaf. Some payphones are
equipped with TDD terminals that pop out of the phone when you dial into a deaf phone. You can also set up your
computer at a slow baud rate (300 or 1200) and use it as a deaf phone. Some things to type at them are "WHAT DO YOU
MEAN, WHO IS THIS? YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE MY VOICE??" and "DON'T YOU DARE RAISE YOUR KEYS AT ME..."
(Say that when they get mad.) Since some TDD phones are only able to type letters, certain codes are used by all TDD
users. These include "GA" for "go ahead", "Q" instead of a question mark and "SKSK" means good-bye.
The above listed "relay services" you can call on your terminal and the person who answers will call any number you
request and act as a translator between you and the other person. They will say ANYTHING you type to them. You can
cuss, make terrorist bomb threats and tell them that your pussy is wet and hot. I've done all of this and they don't care.
One even relayed a singing message for me.
Another good deal with the relay services is that you can avoid toll charges when you dial through them. Occasionally
you'll find an operator that can't tell where you're calling from so if you live in Illinois and want to leave a message at a
number in Arizona, call Arizona Relay and they'll do it, usually free of charge!
Interesting Answering Machines and VMBs:
Hey, Ho! Nobody's Home! - Celina, Ohio - - - 419-394-2407
Steve Mitchell - New Lennox, Illinois..(Always a new message) - - - 815-485-5584
Mr. Hemmoroid Man - - - 503-256-8427
Some weird-o lady who likes to sing - - - 503-289-2439
Some little kid - Indianapolis, Indiana - - - 317-579-9222
Harold - - - 618-259-8001
Phone Company Related Numbers:
Jim Bayless (Ameritech Corporate Security, Indianapolis, IN) - - - 317-265-2539
Kathy Mallon (GTE Northwest Security) - - - 317-896-8335
AT&T Message Sender..(Send your own AT&T message to anyone!) - - - 800-562-6275
Ameritech Stocks & Newsline - - - 312-917-9797 or 800-893-LINE
Bell Atlantic Stocks & Newsline - - - 800-647-NEWS
Businesses:
Beverly Hills Cinema.....(Beverly Center, Los Angeles, CA) - - - 310-652-7767
The Church Of Jesus Crust & Later Day Saintwads - - - 800-952-3131
Circle K - Galveston, Texas - - - 409-744-5332
Dairy Queen - Portland, Oregon..(Call in LARGE pick up orders) - - - 503-661-5112
Fred Meyer's - Portland, Oregon..(ask for extension 1800) - - - 503-254-7905
Greyhound Buslines..("How much for a bus to Hawaii?") - - - 800-231-2222
Houston Hobby Airport - Houston, Texas - - - 713-643-4597
Los Angeles Police Department - - - 213-485-2121
Meier & Frank - Portland, Oregon.(Call the customer credit fones) - - - 503-281-4797
Credit Phone Extensions for M&F (above) - - - 2205, 3024, 2310, 2311, 2396
Union Station Cinema - St. Louis, Missouri..(Do you deliver?) - - - 314-231-1980
Ursuline Convent - Alton, Illinois..(A NUN'S convent!) - - - 618-463-0018
Walker's Amoco - Indianapolis, Indiana..(Very gullible people) - - - 317-353-9234
Bombay House..(Hindu restaurant. Ask about Camels.) - - - 512-857-2184
Partylines/Chatlines:
The Awesome Live Partyline..(Actually, not that great) - - - 809-474-2569
Hotel California...(THE BEST PARTYLINE! Ask for Roy & his gerbil) - - - 801-234-SHIT
Viper Room.(Hotel California's sister line) - - - 801-855-SHIT
Motel "69" - - - 809-563-0069
Underground Partyline..(No, not REALLY underground) - - - 515-945-6700
Most of the partylines that you find listed in the back of a Rolling Stone or Spin magazine is totally free of charge, you
pay only the long distance charges. Don't let the 809 area codes fool ya, though. They're located in the Dominican
Republic and cost quite a bit more than normal U.S. charges. Most of the people you meet on these lines are screwing the
phone company in some way because they're all partyline addicts who HAVE to call every day so you can sometimes learn
new tricks on these lines.
Miscellaneous Weird Stuff:
Dick Clark's Trivia Line..(An interactive contest) - - - 800-328-2120
Elevator phones -...A college in Michigan.(When calling these, - - - 517-774-4292
Elevator phones -...you are on speaker phone in the elevator!) - - - 517-774-2263
The White House - Washington D.C...(Yeah, is Bill there?) - - - 202-456-1414
My voicemail.......(How about some more numbers, please?) - - - 512-370-4680
The Orgasmic Operator (Listen to the whole recording) - - - 618-254-0000
The HoHoCon Voice Mail - Houston, Texas - - - 713-867-9544
Girlscout Cookie Hotline...(Send them to your house!) - - - 800-882-6468
A Few BBS Numbers:
Bogus Journey - Edwardsville, Illinois - - - 618-656-7266
Roy's Place - Granite City, Illinois..(PLA WHQ) - - - 618-797-2339
Sonic Youth Systems - - - 512-851-8317
The Sprawl - Austin, Texas - - - 512-458-3409
Ripco - Chicago, Illinois....(Phreaking Since 1983) - - - 312-528-5020
CAUG-PC BBS..(Catholic pay board; charges the hell out of people) - - - 512-993-8876
CCAT.........(Another annoying pay board...(Wildcat!)) - - - 512-242-2206
CDS....(Automated "sysops" break in for chat.) - - - 512-887-0787
Roy:
Village Clerk - Roy, New Mexico - - - 505-485-2541
Roy Taxi Service in Austin, Texas - - - 512-482-0000
Roy Colwell - Caseyville, Illinois.(His wife is praying for you) - - - 618-345-4074
Police Department - Roy, New Mexico - - - 505-485-2204
Roy Electric - - - 718-434-7002
Roy Incorporated - - - 516-742-8831
Roy's Sewer Service - - - 718-927-1456
Roy Boy's - - - 503-245-8289
Roy & Roy Consulting - - - 503-282-7594
Roy Wilson - - - 718-434-5540 & 718-859-8185
Roy's Carpet Factory Outlet - Wayne, Oklahoma - - - 800-468-3280
Roy Perry - Jonesboro, Arkansas - - - 501-xxx-xxxx
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-643-3049 The Final Frontier
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #008
How To Turn The Work Life Of A Local 7-Eleven Employee
Into A Living Hell
Written On September 6, 1994 - Last Revision on March 28, 1995
I've worked in a zillion different convienence type stores and gas stations and I KNOW what used to piss me off so
this file is fairly accurate. Most of the more destructive ideas have been tried by me and friends while working the
graveyard shift at the Han-Dee-Mart as it gets extremely boring there at night. Keep in mind that a conveinence store gets
pretty busy sometimes and the cashier can't watch every section of the store all at once so don't worry about him/her
seeing you do most of this stuff. Even if you're caught, the worst that happens is you get kicked out for the day. (You can go
back the next day because they've usually hired someone new by then.) Cactus!
Included at the end is a section FOR the conveinence store employees to help them cope with working the graveyard
shift at a dead-end job. If you have any comments, stories or anything else, please contact me at 512-370-4680. I'm there
to listen.
"I have told you a million times not to make shambles of my candy isle so I have no other choice but to tell you once
again not to make shambles out of my candy isle. Have a nice day." -A clerk said something similar to Bart Simpson
1. If the condoms are accessable to you, use a needle and poke holes in all of them.
2. Take Ex-Lax and put it in the donuts, cookies, ice cream, coffee machine, cashier's soda, etc.
3. Take one bite out of each of the cookies and donuts.
4. Mix all of the items in the condiments bar together to form a big, yucky salad. Be sure to spill items all over each
other and on the floor.
5. Use a razor blade to make a slit in each one of the cartons of milk. This will start a very small drip-leak but when a
customer picks up the milk it should spill pretty good. This makes a good mess inside AND outside of the cooler. Really a
bitch to clean up.
6. Paint the front sidewalk in pychedelic colors.
7. Bring a ton of items up to the counter. After the cashier rings everything up and asks for your $34.75, tell him you
changed your mind and walk out, leaving everything on the counter.
8. Most of the more popular stores have a toll-free customer hotline for customers to call in and complain or make
suggestions. Find this number (usually written on the outside window) and call it once a day to complain about an
employee you don't like.
9. Put a full pot of coffee under the coffee spout. Then press the button that starts the coffee maker. This will overflow
the pot and create a tremendous mess.
10.Jam the handle on the Slurpee/Slushie/Whatever machine so that the mush keeps on flowing after you leave.
What the cashier cry when he finds it.
11.Ask for $600 in money orders and twenty lotto tickets. After the cashier prints up the money orders and lotto
tickets, leave. It's a real bitch to void out money orders and lotto.
12.Sit your fountain drink on top of a video game. There's usually some vents on top of the game so whoops!
Accidentally knock your drink over so the entire 44 ounces of Pepsi spill into these vents. This makes for some pretty neato smoking effects as well as sparks and fire. Make sure that it's not a cool game that you play often because you won't be
playing it anymore.
13.Fill up a Super Tanker Gigantic drink cup with Pepsi. Take it all around the store with you spilling it's contents all
over the items on the shelves as you go along. You can imagine what it'd be like to clean this up.
14.On a really hot day, get on the roof and turn off the air conditioning. If possible, make sure that the air
conditioners will never work again. Be extremely quiet when walking around up there so mister cashier doesn't hear you.
15.Telephone the cashier and start asking him questions about robberies like:
* "Do you have one of those silent alarm buttons you could press if I were to rob you?"
* "Do the police in your neighborhood respond quickly when something bad happens in your store?"
"How many times has your store been robbed? Was the robber caught?"
"Theoreticly speaking, if a professional robber such as myself were to come in and rob you, what are the chances of
me getting caught?"
"Do you carry a loaded gun behind the counter?"
"How much money is in your cash drawer right now? That's all? Uhhh, could you please not drop anymore in the safe
until I get there? I, uh, need to cash a check, yeah, that's it."
"Are you afraid of death?"
16.Order a telephone calling card for the store and obtain the pin number. Using the card, make tons of harrassing
calls to the store until the card goes dead. When they get their bill, they realize that they've been paying for their own
harrassment.
17.Find out the store manager's name or the store owner's name. From a pay phone call your friends in Austraila and
third number bill it to the store, saying that you're the manager. The cashier will accept the charges when he thinks it's the
manager.
18.Order call forwarding for the store. Ask the cashier if you can use the phone and dial 72#-911 or *72-911. When 911
answers, tell them you got the wrong number and hang up. Now go out to a pay phone and call the store and you'll get 911.
Make up some big story about how you're getting robbed and they've thrown you in the cooler and taken customers
hostage, etc. If 911 calls back to verify this, they'll get their own office, 911.
19.Start picking up items around the store and dropping them in the trash can.
Going Where You're Not Supposed To:
It's hard for a 7-Eleven to make money, especially with people like us in this world, therefore they are usually
understaffed. If there's only one person working the swing shift (the 4:00pm-Midnight) then you're in for some extra fun.
Make SURE there's only one guy there by calling him and asking. If he's the only one there and it's busy, he HAS to stay at
the register so you're free to go anywhere else in the store, including the back room and walk-in freezer.
20.Go in the walk-in freezer with a friend. Veg out on the beer cases and get drunk off your asses. You can usually
keep a good eye on the cashier through the window but after a few beers you stop caring about him.
21.Find the back room and look for a few five foot tall cylinder things. These are called CO2 tanks which is what gives
the fountain sodas their fizz. Locate the one hooked up to a hose and turn it off. Everyone's soda will taste pretty damn
gross now.
22.Take it one step further by disconnecting all of the soda tanks. It'll take the poor cashier an hour to figure out why
there's no soda, and another hour to hook 'em all back up and figure out which hose goes to which tank.
23.If there's not a public restroom then there's definately an employee restroom in the back someplace. Go in there
and the employees will sometimes keep their personal belongings lying around. Steal it all and then phone the cashier,
demanding a ransom for his stuff.
24.Look for the employee schedule and time sheet hanging somewhere on the wall. Steal the shedule so you'll know
who's working for the rest of the week. Flush the time sheet down the toilet so the manager won't know who worked when
all week and nobody'll get paid.
25.Instead of flushing the time sheet, find an employee on it that you're not too fond of and add a few hours here and
there on his time card. The manager will most likely notice this and either think the employee is trying to cheat for more
hours or think that another employee is trying to get him in trouble. If the manager DOESN'T notice, that guy's going to
have a nice, hefty paycheck next week.
26.Find the manager's office. It's probably locked but most can be opened with the credit card method. Once in the
manager's office, loot. Have your friend watch the security monitor so you'll know if the cashier's comming, while you
look for things you want to take. The computer is a nice start.
If that's too big, how about the modem. You can steal the employee files and then freak them out by calling them and
reciting information to them. Also, security video tapes would be kind of neat to have. In the more modern stores, the
cash register is linked with the computer in the office. Sometimes the register won't work without the computer being
turned on so unplug the computer and take the cord home with you. Pretty soon the cashier will be using a pocket
calculator and a shoebox to ring up the merchandise.
27.The main phone wires are usually somewhere in the back room. You can slow the cashier down quite a bit by
disconnecting them all. Don't just unhook them, though. Cut all of them down that you can find and take them with you so
there's little chance of them being fixed anytime soon. What does this accomplish? Well, the Lotto machine will stop
working soon after losing it's phone line. No more checks, credit cards, ATM cards, gas cards because the credit validation
machines can't call in to get approval. Believe me, I know that this is frustrating. Worse thing is, when he starts having all
of these problems, he can't call anyone for help because his phone doesn't work anymore. To make it even more pathetic,
put the outside pay phones out of commission so he doesn't have a chance.
28.The back rooms are filled with stock that won't fit out on the sales floor. Since there usually aren't any cameras in
the back room, this is your chance for fearless shoplifting! Bring a large bag...
29.The gas pump controls should be lurking about somewhere. Take a look at all the buttons and figure out for
yourself which ones would be most disaterous to shut off. There's usually serveral shut off switches so shut them ALL off.
The cashier will spend a great deal of his life staring at the banks of switches trying to figure out how to turn them back on.
30.Find the circuit breaker boxes. They'll always be unlocked. Find the main switches on all of them and shut them all
off at once, cutting the power to the whole store. Since it's dark, you'll be able to slip back out onto the sales floor without
being spotted. The cashier will probably assume it's a normal power outage. This is a perfect time for shoplifting.
Gas Stations:
31.If it's a self-service station, the cashier hears an annoying BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP... when you lift the gas nozzle
and push the lever up. The cashier is supposed to look outside, take note of the car and the driver, then hit the Validate
button so you can get your gas. Walk up to a pump, out of the cashier's view, hide behind the pump and push the lever up.
The cashier will go nuts trying to figure out why the console's beeping if there's no car out there. Go from pump to pump
doing this until the cashier comes out to say, "Hey...cut that out."
32.Okay, this is a good one I've always wanted to try. Go to one of those personalized license plate booths in the mall.
You know, the one's where you make a plate ILUVYOU for your girlfriend to hang in her room. Find out what the cashier's
license plate number is or, failing that, find out what his mother's license plate number is. Attach this plate to the front of
your car and pull in to get some gas. Make sure the cashier can see your license plate very clearly. Fill up your tank with
Super Unleaded. Make sure the cashier is watching, get in your car and slowly back out of the parking lot, giving the
cashier's reflexes time to kick in so he can find a pen and write down your license plate number. Have a friend hang
around the store to watch the fun next. See, if the cashier doesn't get a plate number, then he's in a lot of trouble. When
someone gets gas and doesn't pay for it, the cashier has to call the police and fill out a report and everything so he doesn't
get a disciplinary write up. The cop will want to know the make of car, the plate number and a description of who was
driving. (A good idea is to wear a cap and glasses, not that a cop is any real threat.) When the cop runs the plate number
through he's going to come up with the cashier's name (or his mom's) and we're all in for a lot of confusion and fun. I have
no idea what the outcome would be.
33.At full service station, pull up to the pump and make sure your gas tank is on the opposite side as the gas pump so
the gas attendant has to manage to get the hose on the other side. If he says you have to turn your car around say, "Aw, it'll
reach, I promise."
34.Also at full service, if you're needing unleaded gasoline, pull up so your gas tank is about four feet past the
unleaded pump. Tell the gas attendant you want five bucks unleaded and go inside. This is a pain in the hiney for the gas
attendant because he's so far away from the pump that he can't see when he's up to five bucks. Usually they end up
pumping a little, running over to the pump to see how much left to go, running back and pumping a little more, running
back to check again, etc, etc...Piss him off more by saying, "Hurry it up a little, willya?"
35.Most every gas pump I've seen can be locked with a normal padlock. Go in the store and shoplift as many Master
padlocks as you need. Bring them outside and lock up each one of the pumps. Since the average gas station doesn't have a
pair of bolt cutters on the premises, nobody will be getting gas for the rest of the night.
36.Gas stations have to take daily gas readings by sticking a really long pole into the the ground where the big
underground tanks are located. You can find these poles somewhere around the outside of the building or by the dumpster
and there's usually several of them. Take them all and the station won't be able to take the daily readings anymore.
37.Get in your car and drive a few blocks from the store. Floor it towards the store and try to get up to 90 M.P.H. by
the time you hit the parking lot. Smash directly into a gas pump, blowing up the pump, the car and killing yourself. Try to
enter the parking lot at the right angle so after you smash through the pump you'll crash through the store's front window
and into the cashier, killing him too.
38.Pick up the gas pump nozzle, squeeze it and hold a match in front of it to create a flame thrower. Burn all of the
nearby customers to a crisp and try to set the store on fire before the cashier hits the Emergency ShutOff switch. (Can you
tell I'm running out of ideas?)
Surviving Graveyard Shift:
This last section is for the 7-Eleven employees. As anyone who's worked it knows, graveyards are the most boring
eight hours of your day. At about a customer an hour, there's not a whole hell of a lot to do. Your manager has probably
provided you with a checklist of work to do but it's usually not very much fun to do work.
39.First order of business. Try to think of the most creative way to destroy your manager's checklist. Make it a point
not to do ANYthing on the list. If you do, you'll get no praise for it. If you don't, you'll be doing just exactly what's
expected of you. Nothing. If you lose your job, oh well. There's a million other 7-Elevens out there looking for a slave.
40.Bring a radio, even if they're not permitted. No human being should be expected to sit in total silence for eight
hours. Sure, that's what your checklist is for but remember, you destroyed that. I'm sure your manager will understand.
41.Open the Clearly Canadian bottles and drop Alkaselters (sp?) into them. If you drop enough in you can make a
pretty good mess. If you're worried about the mess, do it outside.
42.Sit on a gas pump and light fireworks, occasionally dropping one on the ground by the pump, making everyone
nearby nervous and jumpy.
43.Be extremely rude to everyone that comes in to shop, especially the cops who come in to buy the entire stock of
Hostess donuts and think that just because they're cops, they get free coffee. If you really hate doing any work at all, this
will help. When you're rude people go out of their way to keep from shopping at your store.
44.Make prank phone calls to the other store across the street.
45.Sweep the parking lot. Do a real good job and when you get to the edge of the parking lot, keep going and going
until you've swept the entire block. Then sweep the streets in the area and the parking lot across the street.
46.Take all the breakfast and snack food from the shelves and hide them in the back room. The cops will cry when
there's no more Hostess donuts.
47.Go over to the store across the street and start cleaning up their store just to see the other guy's reaction.
Proven Ways To Get Yourself Shot:
48. When being robbed at gunpoint, be a real sarcastic smartass to the guy holding a gun in your face. Make fun of
obvious things such as his weight, facial scars, etc.
49. If that doesn't work, whip out a pen and start taking notes. When the robber asks you what in the hell you're
doing, say, "I'm writing down your description for the police. I have a short memory, okay?"
50. If THAT doesn't work, pick up the phone and dial 911. Tell the police what's happening as you take your time
putting the robber's money into a paper bag. If he gets mad, tell him, "Shhhhhhh! I'm on the PHONE!"
51. If a black guy comes up to the counter to pay for his 12 pack of beer, look him in the eye and say, "This
establishment don't serve no colored folks."
52. When the pimps that always hang out in front come in to buy alcohol, card them. Insist that the picture on the
I.D. isn't them and refuse the sale, smiling the whole time.
53. Be really rude to the gang members. Wear the opposite colors that they do and tell them you're Homey G Roy and
they're going DOWN!
54. If O.J. Simpson comes in to buy a pair of gloves, start cracking a bunch of bad O.J. jokes.
Screwing Your Store Out Of Millions Of Dollars:
A friend of mine is getting a job at a Hit 'N Run store and wants me to write him out a list of different ways to screw
the store out of money for himself so I'm just going to add the list onto the end of this file. I'm sure that he's not really
considering doing any of these horrible things and just wants to know so he can watch the other employees to make sure
they're not stealing. Yeah, that's it...
Most of these are obvious but maybe there'll be a few ideas that you never thought of. Most stores have a camera
pointing at the cash register from several different directions and the more modern stores have the registers linked to the
cameras so that whatever you type into the register it appears on the security tape. (Pretty sneaky) This prevents you from
charging your friends' 50 cents for a case of beer.
55.First of all, all your groceries are going to be free now. This itself can be a real penny saver. Bring a back pack or
something similar to work every day and load it up with your favorite foods and candy. If you have a car, load up the trunk.
Keep in mind, it's very common for a manager or a district manager to sit across the street in their car for hours and watch
you so make sure they're not there. In one case, the district manager actually rented out the building across the street so
he could sit in there and watch the employees with his binoculars. (He caught this one guy loading up about ten bags of
food into his car.)
56.Your manager probably didn't mention this, but all of your friends' get special discounts! Twelve packs of beer are
seventy five cents, fountain drinks and Slurpees are only ten cents, candy bars are five cents, packs of cigarettes are half
price, etc.
57.The most common form of employee theft is collecting the money for something, not ringing it up and putting the
money in your pocket. Once you've worked there for awhile you pretty much know all the prices without ringing any of
them up. The trick is to make it look like you've rang it up because customers will notice that you don't and inform the
manager. (Believe me, they really will do this.) Let's say a customer buys a pack of cigarettes. They're $2.19 ($2.36 with
tax). Hit CLEAR 219 CLEAR 236, collect they're money and hit CLEAR NOSALE. That's a pretty good simulation of
ringing up something for real. The customer will see the price on the register and assume everything's normal. Instead of
pocketing the money all at once, keep a little tally sheet next to your register and write down the amount of each sale that
you haven't rang up. When you're done doing this, add the numbers all up and collect the full amount. This lessens the
chances of someone seeing you pocketing the money.
58.What if you've got about fifty dollars in merchandise that you haven't rang up but there's three cameras watching
you and there's no way that you could possibly take the cash without the cameras seeing you? Well, call a friend and tell
them to come over. The friend will buy something in the store and you ring up the friend for his purchase and then give
him his "change" which will include the fifty bucks that you've stolen. The only bad part is that now you're expected to
share your cut with the friend.
59.Be careful when selling your underaged friends alcohol. Make sure to card them, look at the I.D. very closely
(make it look real) and then ring up their beer. (Which is 75 cents, remember?) And hopefully your friend doesn't look like
he's ten years old. Put the beer in a (hopefully paper) bag so a cop doesn't stop him walking out of the store with the
alcohol. Make sure you tell your friend that if he's caught drinking this beer and the police asks where he got it, he doesn't
tell them where he got it. Tell him to name another store nearby so you won't get into any trouble. (Besides, they'll have
proof on the security tapes.)
60.Most stores have some way of keeping inventory on the cigarettes so the employees aren't stealing them all. If you
have to count each individual pack of cigarettes at the beginning and end of your shift, things are gonna be hard on you.
For one, you'll have to ring up every pack of cigarettes that you sell. If there's something else in the store that costs the
same as a pack of cigs, you can ring this item up under the cigarette key. Lets say that a customer buys a gallon of milk
which is $2.36, the same as cigarettes. Instead of ringing up $2.36 on the grocery key, ring it up on the cigarette key.
There, now you've got one pack of cigarettes!
61.Usually the stores will only keep a tight inventory on the cartons of cigarettes and not the individual packs. In fact,
I've never seen a store that doesn't keep tight inventory on the cartons. So don't steal the cartons but load up on the packs.
Remember that when your friends come in they get that special deal, five packs of cigs for the price of one! And since
they're a friend, it only costs about $1.50!
62.Credit Card Machines (masturbating...) There's a button on the credit card machine called REPRINT. Every time a
customer uses a Mastercard or Visa, press this button after they leave. This will give you a reprint of their receipt and
their credit card number will be on this. A customer comes in and buys some gas and fifty dollars worth of condoms and a
Hustler magazine totally $65 and pays cash. Ring this up on the register. After they leave, hit the MANUAL ENTRY button
on the credit card machine and it'll ask you for your card number. Whip out your list of card numbers and punch one in.
Then the expiration date. Then the amount of the sale which is $65. A receipt will come out and you can scribble a
"signature" on it and put it in with your other receipts. Now that the purchase has been paid for with a credit card, you're
free to take the $65 in cash home with you. Just make sure you're not still working there next month when the owner of
the card you used gets his bill.
63.Arrange for some friends to come in and do a "beer run." Have them steal a good amount of twelve packs and run
out the door with them. Make sure that there's no "good samaritan" customers out in the lot who will catch your friends
and drag them back in the store. Pretend to be surprised, maybe run after them for a second. Then go to the phone and
call the police's non-emergency number and explain what happened. Give them incorrect information like they're on foot
(if they're in a car) or they're headed down a certain street when they're really going the other way. The police will show up
and you'll have to fill out a report and that's the end. After your shift is over, go to your friends' house and get drunk.
64.A customer comes in and buys $10 worth of merchandise and leaves. Take their receipt and write it down on your
paper work as an over-ring. (Like the cusomer didn't have enough money and you had already rang it up.) Now there's $10
in the register for you.
The managers know that all this stuff happens. They watch security tapes as much as they can be usually it's hard to
watch the entire thing. (Impossible if there's only one manager doing it.) Break into the room with the monitors so you can
look and see exactly what the cameras pick up so you'll know what you're up against. No matter how many cameras they
have, though, there's always several ways around it all. You could pause the tape from recording, go out and steal some
money and then run back in and turn the tape back on. It would be very unlikely for anyone to notice this jump on the
tape.
Each store I've worked at has a daily paper called a "frequency chart." Or something like that. This takes note of each
shift, who was working, how much money they made, how many refunds there were, how many customers, etc, etc. Each
day of the week has a different amount of business and this chart keeps track of all that. When the manager looks at the
chart they may notice that when YOU work sales are down alot. This is because you're stealing. If this continues every day
only on your shift, the manager will start watching the security tapes of your shift a lot closer and start parking his car
across the street to watch you. So don't get greedy and you should be okay. If you can, break into the office and find this
frequency chart to see how you're doing. When they see oddities, they'll sometimes highlight them and make notes.
When you're caught stealing, you'll be fired, that's all. I've never seen a store try to take legal action because of
employee theft even if they have it all on video tape. (Well, except for that time I looted the Wood River, IL 7-Eleven of
about $4,000 in cash one night but I won't get into THAT.) You just won't be able to shop there anymore and you won't be
able to use them as a job reference. (Oh, darn.) So you don't have to really fear getting caught unless you really need the
job.
DISCLAIMER: RedBoxChiliPepper takes all responsibility for your actions. If anyone gets pissed off at you, anyone
dies or anything is damaged, just show them this file and the note below:
To whom it may concern: The information presented in this text has brainwashed ____________. Please refrain
from doing anything to him as RedBoxChiliPepper takes absolutely all responsiblity for their action(s). Contact him if any
problems arise. (512)-370-4680
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #009
Jim Bayless's Triumph
by Colleen ChiliPepper
Written On November 9, 1994
This is an actual play that was presented in class. It was awarded an "A+." It is not to be confused with reality because
we all know that phone company security personell never really catch who they're after. If you have any questions about
this ongoing case, feel free to call Jim Bayless at work. (Ameritech Corporate Security) His number is 317-265-2539 or
317-556-4722.
Open, a young man in a telephone booth calling some lady.
BRAD: Hello, this is Jim Bayless from Ameritech Corporate Security and we've been having some problems with our
voice mail system. I was wondering if we could have your code number to help aid us in cleaning up this problem?
MRS. SMITH: What was your name, Tim Bazil? Speghetti sounds good for dinner but bazil is a little too strong a
spice for me. Do you have any garlic?
BRAD: Bayless, ma'am.
MRS.SMITH: No, Mrs. Smith. Now what was it you wanted? Oh yes, my code number is 4623.
BRAD: Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. I will call you tomorrow and let you know how this case
is going.
MRS. SMITH: Bye now!
BRAD: (After hanging up phone) Ha, ha, ha! I'm gonna get her! (Pauses as he dials up her voice mail system and gets
into her box) Hi, I'm not here right now and neither is Mrs. Smith. The stupid, slimey slug is out rolling dog doo doo. Mrs.
Smith, you're stupid! I can't believe you just gave me your code you stupid retard! Ha ha! [Note: Certain words had to be
substituted as cussing was not allowed in the classroom.]
NEXT DAY
After listening to her voicemail's outgoing message, Mrs. Smith decides to call Ameritech Security.
MRS SMITH: I need to speak with Mr. Jim Bayless.
MR. BAYLESS: Yes? Speaking, how can I help you?
MRS. SMITH: My name is Mrs. Smith and this little brat called my work saying he was you and convinced me to give
him my passcode. Then he called my voicemail and said some very mean stuff. He called me a slimey slug in dog doo doo.
Then he called me a retard! I want this taken care of immediately. I can't even get my messages because he changed my
passcodes.
MR. BAYLESS: I know who that is, don't worry ma'am. I'll take care of Brad Carson, a.k.a. RedBoxChiliPepper!
TWO WEEKS LATER
Mr. Bayless tracks Mr. Carson down and calls him.
MR. BAYLESS: Mister, I got you in the hot seat! You have two choices: You can stop now and I'll give you a Resses
Peanut Butter Cup every day that you're good. I know you're a nice person and I have faith in you. Or, I'll track you down
and make you come work for me until you learn to be a good, upstanding citizen.
BRAD: No, Mr. Bayless, anything but a job at the phone company. And you know I love Reeses. I'll be good. When's
the delivery boy comming over?
MR. BAYLESS: Right now! Chris Tomkinson, go to Phone Phreakers Lane and bring RedBoxChiliPepper this Reeses.
CHRIS: (Knocks on telephone booth door & give Brad a reeses.)
BRAD: Boy, oh boy, a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup! (He shoves them in his mouth and looks up and Chris is standing
with his hand out.)
CHRIS: Tip?
BRAD: I'll give you a tip, don't give out your social security number! (Brad slams the telephone booth door in his
face.)
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You! The P.L.A. Voice Mailbox number is 512-370-4680. And PLEASE
don't pay for your phone calls. –RBCP
Issue #010
Scanner Freqencies (Listening To What You Shouldn't)
Written On January 2, 1995 - Last Revision on January 2, 1995
If you own a scanner, please don't let it just sit there and do nothing. Put it to good use and eavesdrop with it. Listed
below are all of the frequencies that I know of and scan whenever I'm bored, which is quite often. A lot of these frequencies
were reprinted from the SportCat Frequency Guide. Oh, and Happy New Years!
12 Band Coverage:
First of all, here's the range of freqencies that most scanners carry. Although it's extremely illegal, I reccommend
listening in on the 806-9xx range. This is where you pick up cellular phone conversations.
29.0 - 29.7 MHz 10 Meter Ham
29.7 - 50.0 MHz Low Band
50.0 - 54.0 MHz 6 Meter Ham
108 - 137 MHz Aircraft
137 - 144 MHz Military
144 - 148 MHz 2 Meter Ham
148 - 174 MHz High Band
406 - 420 MHz Federal Government
420 - 450 MHz 70 cm Ham
450 - 470 MHz UHF Band
470 - 512 MHz "T" Band
806 - 956 MHz "800" Band (Cellular)
I've heard that it's supposed to be illegal to sell or make scanners anymore that let you listen in on the "800" band,
although I still see those kind in stores and I've bought one. Scanners that won't pick up cellular can usually be easily
modified to do so. If not, you've always got the cordless phone channels to play with.
Cordless Phones:
If you live in a suburban area you'll be able to tune into just about any of the following frequencies. Evening listening
is usually the best time. You should be able to hear both sides of the conversation on either the base OR the handset.
Base Unit
Channel
46.61
CH 1
46.63
CH 2
46.67
CH 3
46.71
CH 4
46.73
CH 5
46.77
CH 6
46.83
CH 7
46.87
CH 8
46.93
CH 9
46.97
CH 10
Handset
49.67
49.845
49.86
49.77
49.875
49.83
49.89
49.99
49.99
49.97
If you pick up at the beginning of the conversation or they click over to use the 'ol three-way calling, you can hear
them use the touch tones. If you record these tones you can either run them through a DTMF decoder or figure them out
through process of elimination and have every number they dial. You'll be amazed at the things that are said on people's
phones. If you're lucky, they'll enter their calling card number at some point.
Cordless fone eavesdropping is just about the funnest thing you can possibly do with your scanner. When people call
up businesses and make arrangements of any kind you can immediately call the business back and cancel or change the
arrangements. Like when a kid ordered 2 large pizzas and after he hung up I called back the pizza place and changed that
to 15 large pizzas.
While listening to a 14 year old girl in Texas, we kept calling her and the friends she called on three-way and
repeating parts of the conversation. We had her convinced that we were in the bushes outside of her house and had beige
boxed into her line. It never occured to her that cordless phones put out RADIO WAVES and that people can LISTEN TO
THEM! Sheesh. (Check out PLA014.TXT for a detailed text on cordless fone harrassment.)
Wireless Microphones & Fast Food Drive-Thrus:
The following frequencies are used by people delivering speeches, entertainers, professional singers, football referees
and other people who have a need for a wireless microphone. So if you're not cool enough to get into a convention and
they're using a wireless microphone, you can listen in anyways. Frequencies which have a star next to it are also used at
drive-through restaurants for transmitting customer orders to cashiers and customers. (Sometimes accomplished on
seperate channels so you MIGHT only hear one side.)
30.84, 33.12, 33.14*, 33.40*, 35.02*, 36.70, 37.10, 40.22, 40.68, 42.98, 44.87, 47.27, 49.83-49.99, 150.775, 150.790
151.625, 151.715*, 151.775*, 154.570*, 154.600*, 165.9125, 167.3375, 167.4875, 167.875, 169.200, 169.425, 169.445*,
169.505, 170.225, 170.245*, 170.305*, 171.045*, 171.105*, 171.125, 171.450, 171.825, 171.845, 171.905*, 172.000, 172.200,
457.525*, 457.550*, 457.5625*, 457.5875*, 457.575*, 457.600*, 460.8875*, 461.1125, 465.8875*, 466.200, 467.750,
467.775*, 467.7875*, 467.800, 467.8125*, 467.825, 467.850, 467.875, 467.900, 467.925
I've never had any reason yet to listen in on wireless mics. After all, if they're broadcasting from one of those, chances
are I'm going to hear them without the scanner. Let me tell ya, though, listening to the drive-thrus can sometimes be
pretty entertaining. In most fast food places they use the radios to communicate with each other and talk bad about
customers.
I wonder, if a singer was performing in the park next to McDonald's would the drive-thru orders drown him out
sometimes?
Grateful Dead Tour:
462.4875 Operations
469.375 Security
469.775 Crew
Greenpeace:
151.625, 462.575, 462.600, 462.625, 464.500, 464.550
Additional Frequency Information:
The Frequency Fan Club puts out a monthly newsletter called Race Scanning Monthly. If you'd like information or to
subscribe, call or write them.
Frequency Fan Club
P.O.Box 1987
Richmond Hill, GA 31324
1-800-RACE-FAN (phone)
1-800-SCAN-FAX (phax)
Another place you gotta go to if you have a scanner is Radio Shack. They'll have a book that covers your state and a
few surrounding states that costs under $10. The book includes police, fire and medical frequencies for every single town
in the entire state. It also includes school buses, local businesses, colleges, sometimes taxis. Definately worth the money if
you're not planning on shoplifting it.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You! The P.L.A. Voice Mailbox number is 512-370-4680. And PLEASE
don't pay for your phone calls. –RBCP
Issue #011
Phone Call Transcripts
Written On December 15, 1994 - Last Revision on December 15, 1994
Here's a bunch of phone call transcripts that I typed up simply because I have no life to speak of. Most of them are
actual calls, typed straight from a cassette tape but a few are just made up, something I did to kill time on a rainy day. The
made up ones are pretty obviously made up, as they include operator suicides and police raids on phone booths.
By the way I have tons of cassette tapes FULL of most of this crap and more. If you'd like to order the actual tape or
want to submit some of your own calls, dial 512-370-4680 voice and listen to the message, or leave your own message.
MasterRoy:
AT&T: "This is the AT&T operator, may I help you?"
RBCP: "Yeah, I want to use my credit card to bill this call."
AT&T: "Please hold while I get an operator who can validate your card."
RBCP: ".........Hello?............Hellooooooooooo??....Hey, operator, what, you get drunk and fall off of your chair or
what?"
AT&T: (Irritated) "If you'll wait just a minute, sir, I'm getting someone here who can validate your card."
RBCP: "Well, geez, it's taking you long enough. Don't you know you're not supposed to drink on the job?"
AT&T: (New operator) "This is AT&T, what kind of card will you be using?"
RBCP: "It's a MasterRoy."
AT&T: "Excuse me?"
RBCP: "MasterRoy. You know, Master the possibilities? The universal credit card? No other card more accepted on
the planet?"
AT&T: "You mean Mastercard."
RBCP: "Well, it's from the bank in Roy, New Mexico and they call it a MasterRoy. They're pretty silly people, aren't
they?"
AT&T: "Could I have the expiration date, please?"
RBCP: "Yes, it's 13/97."
AT&T: "What's that?"
RBCP: "The expiration date is 13/97."
AT&T: "That can't be right, sir."
RBCP: "Well, the kid who put my card together at the Roy Bank was new and I think he made a misprint on my card.
It's probably supposed to say 12/97."
AT&T: (I hear her hitting the buttons harder, as if in frustration.) "Thank you for using AT&T. Your call is
completing."
Operator 4592:
AT&T: "AT&T, Operator 4592. How were you wanting to bill your call, sir?"
RBCP: "I want to charge it to my home phone. My number is 618-258-1160 and my name is Darin McCall."
AT&T: "Just a minute......Sir, the man on the other line says that HE is Darin McCall."
RBCP: "Hmmm...Maybe that's because I just picked his name at random out of the phone book and I'm trying to call
my friend in Austraila and bill it to him."
AT&T: "You can't do that. Obviously, it doesn't work."
RBCP: "Yes it does work, actually. About every third try it seems to work. You see, usually the wife will answer and
she'll think it's her husband trying to make a legitimate phone call."
AT&T: "You'll be caught, though, sooner or later."
RBCP: "And if the third number billing doesn't work, I'll simply use one of the stolen calling cards I've obtained or
perhaps a business's PBX number."
AT&T: "I hope you get caught."
RBCP: "I won't. I wrote down your operator number you gave me and I know how to get your name from that. If you
don't start being nice to me, I'll charge some calls to your house. You can't stop me, you know."
AT&T: "Fuck you, you little bastard."
Then she hung up. I swear, some operators just have absolutely no sense of humor at all. I was just trying to make her
job a little more exciting. I did feel sort of bad when I saw the news that night and found out that she had tried to hang
herself shortly afterwards with her operator headset.
A Little Fun Backfires:
AT&T: "AT&T, Please deposit 80 cents for the past three minutes."
RBCP: (I take a handfull of coins and jingle them next to the mouthpiece.) “You hear that? I've got all this money and
I'm not giving you one damn cent! Hahaha!"
AT&T: "Oh, well THAT'S fine with me, I'll just bill it to the number you called then."
RBCP: "Hey, go ahead, buster. I was harrassing those people anyways. I'll be even better if they get a bill for
it.........Well...hmmm, I guess maybe I can give you a little money. Here's fifty cents..." (beepbeepbeepbeep)
AT&T: "Sir, it has to be real coins, not a recording. Do you want me to turn you in to security right now?"
RBCP: "That's not a recording, it's a red box! They're electronicly produced coins. Learn to tell the difference, you
shmuck."
AT&T: "Okay, let me turn you in to security right now....."
SUPR: "This is the supervisor. Can I help you?"
RBCP: "Gee, that's funny. He told me that he was getting security but all I get is a lousey low-life supervisor. What do
you want?"
AT&T: "Sir, 80 cents."
RBCP: "Okay, here...." beepbeepbeepbeepbeep....beepbeepbeepbeepbeep...(I box in the eighty cents he wants.) "Oh,
and here's an extra quarter just because I like you." beepbeepbeepbeepbeep!
SUPR: "Those aren't real coins, sir. Do you want me to send the police over there right now?"
RBCP: "Yeah, sure, send the police over here. If I had a nickle for every time an operator threatened to send the police
to me..."
Suddenly, I look up and there's a helicopter overhead with his light shinning down on me. I turn to run toward's the
shopping center but there's a few dozen men in army fatiges with machine guns running down the side of the hill. So I turn
the other way and three local police cars are sliding to a stop, surrounding the pay phone. Two FCC vans pull up and about
sixteen Illinois Bell trucks follow close behind and I think, "Man, I'm surrounded. I am fucked!"
I had to destroy the evidence, so I took my modified Radio Shack tone dialer/red box and swallowed it. After hours of
grilling by the police, they finallylet me go because of lack of evidence. Later that week, every employee of Cincinatti Bell
Telephone found that their home phone services no longer existed. It took them days to fix it all.
MCDS: Thank you for calling McDonald's, May I help you?
RBCP: McYes. I'd like to have a 69 piece McNuggets, a McCoke and two orders of McFrench fries delivered right
Mcnow.
MCDS: We don't deliver, sir.
RBCP: McExcuse me? I'm looking at your McAd in the McPaper and it SAYS right here in black and mcWhite that
you McDeliver.
MCDS: Well, that's some sort of printing mistake or something.
RBCP: This is McRediculous! Let me speak to your McManager!
MCDS: Okay, please hold.
RBCP: McHurry, you McLoser.
Oregon Relay Service:
The following two phone calls were done on the Oregon Relay Service. This is service for the deaf where you call up an
operator with your computer and type the number you want to call. The operator will translate what you're typing to the
person who answers the phone, word for word.
OREGON RELAY MAY I HELP YOU? GA
I need to call someone. The number is 503-234-6779 ga
DIALING LOCAL CALL PLS HD RINGING 1 ... ( F) HELLO GA
Ask if they've found Karen yet ga
(EXPLAINING RELAY) UM.. KAREN IS UM.. HAS GONE TO WORK GA
Oh, so she's back home q ga
SHE WILL BE HOME ABOUT 7 00 GA
My name is floyd and I'm a senior citizen I saw a missing child poster on a phone pole by my house and had a nude
picture of her on it. I thought i saw her but i was wondering if her nipples are really so large q ga
EXCUSE ME GA
I found a poster by my house. Don't think me perverted but i thought i might be able to identify by her nipples ga
(EXPLAINING RELAY) UM.. THIS IS ABSURD AND U KNOW IM JUST GOING TO HANG UP
NOW (PERSON HUNG UP) OTRS 907F GA OR SK
darn oh well, thanx for trying ga sksk
SKSK
Directory Assisstance:
at+t osd opr 4006 I how can i help you q ga
YES, I NEED A NUMBER IN COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA GA
ma, name of the person and address please q ga
HER NAME IS KAY. GA
last name please ga
I'M NOT SURE OF THAT. JUST TYPE "KAY" AND HIT THE SPACE BAR A COUPLE OF TIMES GA
ok im sorry i can not find a listing for just a person named kay. do you have a last name q ga
NO , BUT I HAVE KAY'S FIRST NAME. IT'S KAY. GA
so the name is kay kay q ga
YES, I DON'T KNOW HER LAST NAME. SHE WORKS AT THE CORNER MARKET (KAY'S MARKET)
... ok for a listing in directory assistance the listing is not done by the first name you need
WELL, IT'S MOSTLY A BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD, SO IF YOU LOOK UNDER THE WHITE DIRECTORY YOU CAN
PROBABLY NARROW HER DOWN GA
the listing is not listed by race colour job or any other descrpn ga
ARE YOU SAYING THAT I NEED MORE THAN JUST KAY Q GA
correct you need full name and address for directory asstance to get phone nm
DO I GET A COOKIE FOR BEING CORRECT Q GA
hummmm..... i cant answer that but you might get the phone number you want by
(I HANG UP ON HER)
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You! The P.L.A. Voice Mailbox number is 512-370-4680. And PLEASE
don't pay for your phone calls. -RBCP
Issue #012
Converting The 'Ole 2400 Baud To 14.4 For Free
Written On November 28, 1992 - Last Revision on January 8, 1995
This file was originally titled, "Upgrading Your 1200 Baud To 2400 Baud" but times have advanced just a little bit sp I
decided to rewrite the file. Doing this the dishonest way is very simple but requires a deposit of around $200, give or take
a hundred and you get every penny of this money back.
This works best with externals so I'll assume that's what you're using. First, find the store that you want to use. An
actual computer store is not recommended because they're not too stupid and sometimes they even know what they're
doing. I suggest a place like K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Venture, Circuit City or Service Merchandise.
Buy the modem that you want from the store. Take your modem home (or better yet, just do this in the car), open up
the casing on both your old 2400 and the new 14.4 you just bought. Switch the insides on the two modems, put them back
together and take the 14.4 back for a full refund. (The 2400 baud modem in a 14.4 casing.)
Just tell the clerk that it didn't seem compatible with your computer or something. If he wants to start asking a bunch
of stupid questions, pretend you're computer illiterate and act like you're in a hurry. Most places will ask you to take the
modem to the electronics section of the store so they can open up the box and make sure that everything is there. So make
sure you didn't "forget" to include the phone wire, AC adapter and manuals or you probably won't get your money back.
You shouldn't have to worry about the clerk pulling the modem out of a box and examining it all over, usually they
just want to make sure it's all there. If you have any troubles, see the section below.
Oh, and if you're the type that has some kind of conscience and are thinking about the poor guy that's gonna come in
and actually purchase this expensive 14.4 modem and find out when he gets home that it only works at 2400, you can
probably prevent this by calling up the store and telling them what you've done. I usually call up a store and confess to the
electronics guy only if he was a jerk to me. Then, I'll call him up and insult him and tell him how stupid he was.
A Few Notes:
If the new 14.4 won't fit into your old 1200 or 2400 casing, don't worry about it. It doesn't matter how ugly your
modem is, just how fast it performs, right? If you're paranoid about the circuit board just laying out like that, you can
easily make your own casing out of a few parts from Radio Shack. If you're really poor, make a case out of a few sheets of
plastic and melt them together with your lighter or soldering iron. And if you're REALLY pathetic and don't even have
plastic to spare, cut some pieces of cardboard and scotch tape.
If your old 2400 won't fit into the stores 14.4 case, then you have a few choices:
1. Use a hack saw to cut the 2400 circuit board down to where it'll fit comfortably into the 14.4 casing. Be sure that
once it's put back together so that nothing looks out of place.
2. If there's no way that your old circuit board is gonna fit in there, get some switches, plug ins, etc from Radio Shack
and glue them wherever they're supposed to go on the 14.4 modem casing. If the circuit board has any weight to it, glue
something inside so the store clerk won't notice anything funny. Believe me, a store clerk doesn't usually pull apart the
whole modem just because you want a refund.
3. Put the 14.4 case back together totally empty. Wrap the styrofoam or plastic or whatever around it and scotch tape
it so the clerk hopefully won't bother to pick it up and look at it.
Emergency Situations:
Let's say that for some reason the store clerk decides to whip out his pocket screwdriver and begins to take the
modem apart so he can see what the problem is. This has never happened to me, but I would probably say something like,
"Listen, I'm late for work and I don't have time for this. Just give me my refund so I can get out of here."
What if he DID open it and sees a cut up circuit board in there? Well, your best bet is to pretend to be as surprised as
he is. Say that you had nothing to do with it and someone must have bought the modem before you and done this. If he
gives you any shit, ask to speak with the manager and if it comes down to it, threaten to sue them if they don't refund your
money or at least replace the modem with a new one.
If none of this works, pull out your AK-47 sub machine gun and demand all the money in the drawer. After you get
the money, gun down all the customers and employees and go to a REAL computer store and buy yourself a 14.4 modem.
Internal Modems:
There's a bit more risk involved here but I've pulled it off twice out of the two times I've tried it and had no problems.
When you buy an internal, you get a the modem, wrapped in plastic lying in a foam thingy. So take out the 14.4 and put the
wrapping around your old 2400, put it all back in the box, phone cords, manuals and all and take that back for a refund.
I first tried that at Wal-Mart and after it went over so well the first time, I decided to try it again. Only this time I
replaced the modem with an old circuit board out of an AM/FM radio. The old bag working electronics that day just
glanced in there to make sure it was there and gave me my money back. It just so happened that she didn't know how to
work the store's cash register either. Go figure.
One More Thing:
You shouldn't limit yourself to just a new 14.4 baud modem. You can use this method on virtually anything electronic.
Radios, stereos, electronic spare parts, telephones, anything.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You! The P.L.A. Voice Mailbox
PLEASE don't pay for your phone calls. –RBCP
number is 512-370-4680. And
Issue #013
Petty Scams and Telephone Tricks
Written On April 8, 1990 - Last Revision on January 09, 1995
Listed in this file is about every way that I've attempted and succeeded in swindling some place or person out of a few
dollars (or cents). A lot of these methods should only be tried by the most pathetic and desperate person, as a lot of these
tricks will get you just about enough to buy a meal or a joint. Also included are a lot of ways to bullshit your way around
the telephone systems and companies.
Dialing A Phone That Can't Be Dialed:
Remember rotary pulse dialing? Before the modern days of touch tone dialing, you had to stick your finger in a hole
and spin that stupid dial thing to call a number and that could really make exchange scanning a bitch. Today, you can
hand a little kid a rotary dial phone and ask him to make a call on it and he'll look at you like you're crazy. "Where the hell
are the buttons?"
If you've ever come across a telephone (whether it be rotary or touch tone) and for some reason there's a lock on the
phone or the dialing keypad has been disconnected, don't dispair. You can still make a call using the prehistoric pulse
dialing technology.
Let's say you want to dial the number "123-4567" so you pick up the phone and get your dial tone. Now quickly press
and release the hang up button once. That should dial your number "1." Now repidly press and release the hang up button
twice and you've dialed your "2" and so on. If you want to dial a zero, rapidly press and release the hangup button ten
times. I actually got a disciplinary write up at work for teaching my co-workers how to do this after the manager disabled
outgoing calls.
Sometimes if the owner of the phone has a lot of custom calling services like call waiting and three-way calling, this
method of dialing might not work because it messes up the timing of the clicks and you always get a wrong number when
trying it. Usually it will but I've come aceoss phone that won't dial that way. It also could depend on the type of phone
being used. Another way to get by a locked dial is to buy a touch tone dialer from Radio Shack.
A lot of businesses out there have what's called a network phone system. This means they have a minerature phone
company in the office which let's them restrict all kinds of things such as if one of their phone will be allowed to make
outgoing calls. To avoid having employees chatting on the phone all day or a customer picking up the phone and dialing
long distance, they usually restrict outgoing calls on a lot of the phones in the network.
Sometimes you can pick up the phone and hit "Line 1" or "Line 2" or whatever and get a dial tone, you just won't be
able to push any of the buttons on the phone to dial out. If you try, you eiher get a busy signal or nothing. The solution to
this is to buy a pocket tone dialer from Radio Shack (The $15.oo model is fine) and dial the number with that. That way,
you're not pressing the network's buttons so it doesn't know anything's going on and you get your phone call, whether it be
across the street or in Austraila.
If you pick up the phone and can't even get a dial tone, then you have to wait for someone to call you. When the
phone rings, pick it up, answer their questions and get rid of them as quick as you can. When they hang up, stay on the
line. In about a minute the phone company's equipment will reset and you should get a dial tone. From there just use your
pocket tone dialer to dial out.
In airports you'll find a big console with all the local hotels listed on it. To reach one of the hotels you press the button
next to the hotel you want to speak with. Usually, this setup is nothing more than a speed dialing phone with all of the
hotels programmed into the memory buttons. Use your Radio Shack Pocket Tone Dialer to dial anywhere in the world on
these phones. Same goes for the rent-a-car booth.
Exchange Scanning:
This can be done either with a computer program or manually with the provided chart. Basically, it's calling up every
single number in an exchange and seeing what kinds of interesting things you can find. Computer hackers use exchange
scanning to find carriers. For example, if a hacker's school phone line number is 254-7950 a hacker will dial every number
from 254-0000 to 254-9999 to find the school's computer line. Hacker's are funny that way...
If you scan numbers where the first two numbers of the suffix is 00 or 99, you'll find a lot of phone company related
numbers like loop lines, weird recordings, sweep tones, etc. If you're looking for this type of thing it's best to find out what
the phone company's local office prefix is and use that. Like if the phone company's billing office number is 556-4200 call
up every number from 556-9900 to 556-9999 or 556-0000 to 556-0099. A real handy recording to find is the one that
says, "Please deposit 25 cents." You can drive an operator bugshit with this number.
Below is a chart that I made for hand scanning. You can do a whole 100 number exchange while you watch the Fresh
Prince of Belle Aire. The chart is fairly easy to use. Let's say you want to dial every number from 618-254-9900 to 618-2549999. Fill in the Area Code box as "618", the Prefix box as "254", the xx box as "99" and fill in today's date.
The first box would be for 254-9900, the second for 9901, etc. Starting on the next row would be 254-9910, 254-9911,
etc. For each thing you find, fill in the appropriate box, telling what you found. I usually use letters to represent different
findings, like "D" means the number has been disconnected, "R" means it just rings and there's no answer, "B" means
busy, etc. Make a few copies of this chart and have fun with it.
Oh, heh, heh, one thing I almost forgot to mention. The phone company doesn't like it when you exchange scan. I've
done manual scanning in a LOT of different areas for long periods of time and nothing ever happened. However, if you
have one of those computer wardialers that dials every single number in a prefix, they have equipment that detects this
kind of thing.
I have friends that have used these programs and the only thing that happens is the phone company sends them a
nasty letter telling them to knock it off or else or they might get a call from the phone company. I'm always reading,
though, in publications like Phrack about people actually getting BUSTED for exchange scanning. I don't know why,
maybe it's considered harrassment to call someone and hang up, let alone call 1000 people and hang up. Just be warned.
If you are going to use a computer, use the random scan and not sequencial.
Privately Owned Pay Fones:
I'm a really nasty vandalizer of private pay phones. I hate them mostly because I can't red box off of them. What is a
privately owned pay phone? These are the ugly pay phones you see that don't have any kind of cool local telephone
company or AT&T logo on it. These are usually owned by a grubby old man who has a small empiree of his own pay
phones around town and he goes around collecting all the profits from the phone for himself, sometimes splitting the
profits with the owner of the business where his phone is located.
The long distance carrier for these phones is most likely someone you've never ever heard of that charges about three
times as much as AT&T or Sprint would, and that's pretty bad. If you use your calling card on one of these phones, you'll
notice when you get your bill what I'm talking about. A local call from one of these phone usually even charges you more
than 25 cents.
A good thing about private pay phones is that the phone line it's using isn't actually classified as a pay phone line, it's
classified as a business line for a regular business customer which is why red boxing won't work. Pick up one of these
phones and dial "zero." If you can get one of their operators, ask them to connect you with AT&T. Now AT&T probably
won't even know that you're calling from a pay phone line. She'll probably assume you're either calling from home or your
place of business.
When AT&T answers, throw them a line like, "Yeah, I'm having trouble with my phone here. There's something
wrong with the buttons and I can't get it to dial right. (Crying is optional) Could you try dialing the number for me?" and
AT&T will be more than happy to help you dial that number. This works for local and long distance calls. Unfortunately,
an operator can't dial a 0-700 or 900 number for you.
When dealing with some of the larger privately owned chains, the AT&T operator can tell that you're calling from a
pay phone so a long distance call wont work.
Since these pay phones use a regular line you can plug your own phone to their line and dial any number you want,
bypassing the pay phone itself entirely. The phone wires are usually installed very amateurly so you shouldn't have much
trouble locating them.
When you find the phone wires, strip the outer covering, then strip the red and green wires, clip your phone to those
two wires and start dialing random numbers in New Zealand. Don't actually cut the wires to the phone in half or the owner
will be upset and hide the wires so you won't be able to do this anymore. Just strip them where no one will notice so you
can come back and hook your phone up anytime you want. (This is called Beige Boxing, by the way.)
To make yourself look less suspicious, you can hook up your phone, quickly dial the number you're calling and then
pick up the pay phone and unhook your own phone. To the casual observer, you're just talking on a pay phone like any
normal person, not screwing the owner out of hundreds of dollars. If he doesn't have a block on the phone you can dial 0700 Alliance and 900 numbers this way.
And if he does have a block on the phone, call up the phone company's billing office and remove the block, pretending
to be him.
A Shopper's Guide To COCOTS by Count Zero (More On Private Pay Phones)
COCOT is an acronym for Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone. In other words, a COCOT is a phone that is
owned or rented by a paying customer (most likely, a hotel or donut shop). A COCOT is not a normal payphone. The
telephone company doesn't own it, and the telephone line is usually a normal customer loop (unlike payphones, where the
phone line is a "special" payphone loop, allowing the use of "coin tones" to indicate money dropped in!) So a COCOT may
look and smell like a telephone company payphone, but it is not.
Why do COCOT's exist? Simple. Money! A customer owned payphone is money in the bank. You pay more for local
calls and long distance is typically handled by sleazy carriers that offer bad/expensive service. The owner/renter of the
COCOT opens the coinbox and keeps the money him/herself. Also, a particularly sleazy quality of COCOT is the fact that it
does not receive incoming calls. This, of course, is because of money. If people are calling in to a COCOT, the COCOT is
not making money and businesses always want to make as much money as possible even if it hurts the consumer. Think
about it. It really sucks to call someone at home from a COCOT and then not be able to have him/her call you back to save
money. "Guess I'll have to keep feeding the COCOT quarters!"
First of all, you must understand that the COCOT is a mimic. Essentially, it wants you to think that it is just a plain
ol' payphone. Pick up the handset. Hear that dialtone? Hah! That dialtone is fake, synthesized by the innards of the
COCOT. You are at the mercy of the COCOT. Remember a COCOT runs off of a normal customer loop so, unlike a
telephone company payphone where you must deposit money to generate coin tones that are read by the central office, the
security of a COCOT depends solely on the COCOT phone itself. It's as if you took your own phone and put a sign on it
saying "Please put 25 cents in this jar for every call you make." COCOTs are not naive. They won't let you near the
unrestricted dialtone until you fork over the cash-ola. Or so they think!
See, the Achilles' heel of the COCOT is the fact that all payphones must let you make 1-800 calls for free! It's not just
a fact, it's the law. Now pick up the handset again and place a 1-800 call. Any 1-800 number will do. When they answer at
the other end, just sit there. Do nothing. Ignore them. Wait for them to hang up the phone.
Here's an example. Dial 1-800-LOAN-YES. [Ring, Ring]...[click] "Hello, you wanna buy some money? Hello?
HELLO?!" [CLICK] (You will now hear some static and probably a strange "waffling" noise, like chh, chh, chh, chh, chh.)
[CLICK] DIALTONE!
Now what have we got here? A dialtone? Yes, you guessed it, the dialtone you now hear is the unrestricted dialtone of
the COCOT's customer loop. So what? So I got an "unrestricted dialtone". Big Deal? You meathead, with an unrestriced
dialtone, all you need to do is place a call via DTMF tones (the tones a touch-tone keypad generates).
Now, try dialing a number with the COCOT's keypad. Whoa, waitasec, no sound. This is a typical lame attempt at
protection by the COCOT. Just whip out your Radio Shack pocket tone dialer and try calling a number, any number. Place
it just as if you were calling from a home phone. Call a 1-900 sex line. Call Guam. You are free and the COCOT's customer
loop is being billed.
Some COCOTs are more sophisticated at protecting themselves. Some will reset when they hear the dialtone. To get
around this, make a loud hissing sound with your mouth into the mouthpiece after the 1-800 number hangs up. Get your
tone dialer ready near the mouthpiece. When you hear the dialtone, quickly dial the first digit of the number you want to
call. If you hiss loudly enough, you may be able to mask the sound of the dialtone and prevent the COCOT from resetting.
Once you dial the first digit of the number you are calling, the dialtone will disappear (naturally). You can stop hissing like
an idiot now. Finish dialing your free phone call. Also, some COCOT's actually disable the handset after the call hangs up
(in other words you can't send DTMF tones through the mouthpiece). Oh well, better luck next time. However, most of the
COCOT's I have run across only disable the DTMF keypad. So all you need is a pocket dialer to circumvent this!
Other things to know: Sure you can't call a COCOT, but it does have a number. To find out the COCOT's number, call
one of the automated ANI services that tell you the number you're dialing from or dial a friend from the COCOT who has
Caller I.D. so they can tell you the number. Now try calling the COCOT from another phone. You will hear one of two
things: 1) synthesized voice: "Thank you" [DTMF tones] [CLICK] [hang up] or 2) a weird carrier.
A COCOT's number is only used by the company that built or sold the COCOT. By calling up a COCOT, a technician
can monitor its functioning, etc. In case number 1, you must enter a 3 or 4 digit password and then you'll get into a voice
menu driven program that'll let you do "maintenance" stuff with the COCOT. In case number 2, you are hooked to the
COCOT's 300 bps modem (Yes, a modem in a payphone). Likewise, if you can figure out the communications settings,
you'll be into the COCOT's maintenance routines. Personally, I haven't had much luck (or patience) with calling up and
hacking COCOT maintenance functions. I just like making free phone calls from them!
RBCP Notes on COCOTS:
In Austin, Texas they have some private pay phones called a Fox Fone. Pretty lame name if you ask me. When you
dial an 800 number on one of these it has the nerve to ask you to deposit a quarter. Now, to get to the unrestricted
dialtone a quarter isn't a bad investment, however I've found that it doesn't ask for a quarter if you dial 102880 to get
AT&T. When AT&T answers, you're home free.
When you dial a long distance call legitamately on a private COCOT, the COCOT will dial a sequence of numbers like
their authorization codes, etc. So when you get the unrestricted dialtone and try to dial a number direct like 1-512-3704680 you'll get a "your number cannot be completed as dialed" message or a busy signal. To get around this, instead dial
10288-1-512-370-4680 and your call should go through.
If you're limited on the number of digits you can dial, just dial "0" from the unrestricted dialtone and ask the local
operator for AT&T. Then ask AT&T to dial a long distance number for you. If you do it this way, you can't dial 700 and 900
numbers but if you use your Radio Shack tone dialer, it's no problem. Dial a 700 number like 10288-0-700-456-1002.
Sometimes the AT&T operator will know that you're calling from a COCOT and won't dial any free calls for you, but
when she hangs up you can still use your tone dialer (or the fone's keypad) to dial long distance.
Directory Asisstance:
To get any listed phone number in the United States, all you need to do is dial "1-AREA CODE-555-1212." If you don't
know which area code the number's in, just make up one or call local directory asisstance and ask that operator what any
area code is. Local directory asisstance can be reached at "411", "1-411" or "1-555-1212." It differs from area to area. Pay
phones that offer "411" won't charge you for information. Some areas I've lived in only will give me a phone number and
say that if I want the address, dial 555-3131.
Toll free information can be reached at 1-800-555-1212 and of course, there is no charge for this call. There's also
directory asisstance for 900 numbers which is 1-900-555-1212. International Information can be reached by dialing
102880 and asking for it.
1-800-COLLECT:
I'm sure that most of you are familiar with those annoying commercials for MCI's 1-800-COLLECT and AT&T's 1800-OPERATOR services. These two services allow you to call people collect using an automated service. For people like
us, it provides a free nation-wide messaging service.
You dial 1-800-COLLECT. The automated operator asks you to enter the area code and number you'd like to call
collect. Then it say, "At the tone, please say your name...(Beep)" where you get about five seconds to say your name.
Now instead of saying your name though, you can say a quick message like, "This is Ron, call me at 801-234-7448" or
"Honey, I'll be home in two hours" or "Help me, I'm trapped in a phone booth in a black neighborhood!" The person
receiving the call simply refuses the charges after they hear your message and nobody pays for it. 1-800-COLLECT is the
best one to use because they give you the most time to "say your name."
Ordering Free Phone Books From All Over The World:
Some people collect stamps. Others collect rocks. And certain serial killers collect body parts. But imagine the fun of
starting your very own collection of telephone directories from around the world. You can be the proud owner of
directories from great cities such as London, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Miami and little podunk towns like Celina, Ohio
and Roscoe, South Dakota where the "Local Attractions" section is only two paragraphs long... "Well, as far as local
attractions here is Jessup, Iowa go, we got Herb's brand new paint job on his tool shed and Toothless Jim here plays a
helluva banjo..."
Ordering the directories is quite simple. You can either bill the cost of the phone books to your home phone or have
them send you a bill for the amount. The beauty part of it all is that you can bill it to any phone number in the United
States. In the past, I've billed my phone books to pay phones, restaurants that give me bad service, the White House and
Ameritech Corporate Security.
The directory offices never seem to check up on the number you're billing to nor do they check to make sure that the
billing phone number matches the billing address. Even if the person you'd like to bill it to has a block on their phone, you
can still charge directories to their number and a single overseas phone book can go for a few hundred dollars. While I'm
sure the person you're billing to can probably have the charges removed, it sure it a fun way to make someone you hate
lose peace of mind.
If you're going to order a lot of phone books, your biggest problem would be where to ship your phone books. It's best
to get a post office box and have them shipped there. I had phone books comming to me regularly for an entire six months
at a post office box and was never questioned once about it, although I started getting letters saying I'd better pay them or
else and Gloria, who worked the front desk at the post office always wanted to know why I got so many phone books all the
time. (I told her I was an asisstant manager for a telemarketing firm.)
You could also have it shipped to your next door neighbor or any vacant house for you to pick up later. Occasionaly I
even send one to my home and nothing ever happens except that I get a letter every few months from them wanting their
money. Below is a list of numbers you can call to order directories.
DonTech.........................(800)-541-8000
Ameritech.......................(800)-xxx-xxxx
AT&T............................(800)-xxx-xxxx
U.S.West Directory Source.......(800)-422-8793
Pick a number and tell them you want a directory from wherever and give them the billing number and address to be
shipped to. In less than two weeks you should recieve it. One thing to remember, though, is that you ask them to deliver
the books by regular U.S. mail unless you'll be somewhere to sign for U.P.S. A lot of post offices won't accept U.P.S. Enjoy
your new hobby!
Employee News & Information Lines:
The phone company has a phone number that their employees can call up and find out what's new with the company,
how the company's stock is doing, what new advances in phones have been discovered and how they're catching people
like us. To get a newsline number, call the phone company's main office and ask them for it. Sometimes they won't know
what you're talking about but keep pestering them until they give it to you. Below is a small list of newslines.
Bell Atlantic....................(800)-647-NEWS
Ameritech........................(800)-893-LINE
(312)-917-9797
Main Numbers & Employee Locators:
An employee locator is a service for Bell employees that helps you find out exactly what department any employee of
Bell works for. Sometimes automated, you enter in the name of the employee on your touch tone phone and the computer
will rattle off their work phone number, street address and state. Most locators have a live operator who you just ask for
the information.
Usually the employee locator is the same number as the main number. To get this number, call up directory
asisstance and ask them for the phone company's main number. Call the main number and if they're not the employee
locator, ask them for that number. In most cases, it's given to you, no questions asked.
If you can't get the phone company's main number from directory asisstance, try calling the billing office and ask
them. Below is a short list of numbers.
Bell Atlantic (West Virginia)..........(304)-954-6202
Bell Atlantic (Virginia)...............(804)-225-6300
Cincinnati Bell (Ohio).................(513)-397-5775
South Central Bell (Jackson, Miss.)....(601)-961-1327
Southwestern Bell (Little Rock, Ark.)..(501)-373-9800
U.S. West (Western U.S.)...............(800)-879-4357
Ameritech (Indianapolis, IN)...........(317)-265-2266
Southern Bell (South Carolina).........(800)-336-0014
Pacific Bell (Los Angeles, CA).........(213)-339-6622
Partylines:
An interesting way to meet new people and sometimes learn new phone tricks is to call a party line. You can find tons
of party line phone numbers in magazines such as "Rolling Stone" and "Spin." A majority of them are some kind of sex
line/lesbian line/gay line/weirdo line but sometimes you find a nice, normal chat line that you can talk to people on.
Every now and then you'll meet a phone phreak who'd be happy to exchange calling cards with you or teach you a few
new tricks. And a lot of average, honest people hang out on them but learn some method of calling for free so they can talk
without going broke. These lines can be VERY addictive. Only regular long distance charges apply on most. Some of them
want a credit card.
Hotel California........................(801)-234-SHIT
Underground Party Line..................(515)-945-6700
Automatic Number Identification (ANI):
When you dial an ANI phone number, a computer voice will tell you what number you're calling from. There's a lot of
ANI numbers out there but my favorite one is 1-800-MY-ANI-IS. Call this number and a computer voice simply says,
"Your ANI is xxx-xxx-xxxx" and hangs up. I have no idea who sponsors this or who pays for it but it's been there for a long
time. Zak claims that ANI knows the future and the past by dialing things like 1-800-MY-ANI-WAS or 1-800-MY-ANIWILL-BE but for some reason I don't believe him.
If you have a friend with Caller I.D., call the friend from the phone you want to identify and your friend can read the
number to you. If you don't have any friends, call a business who has Caller I.D. and tell them that you're the phone
company testing their Caller I.D. and ask them to read back your number.
Hacking Telephone Answering Machines by Doctor Pizz & Cybersperm:
It seems that lately there is very little discussion of one of the most simple but useful and rewarding forms of
electronic information gathering, hacking the telephone answering machine. Almost everyone has one of these wonderful
devices these days, to catch important messages while they are away from their phones, or to screen important telephone
calls. Nowadays, they typically have the added advantage of being accessible from remote telephones, so one needs to
simply call his or her answering machine, enter their secret code, and then either retrieve new messages, or listen to
anything they had previously recorded on the incoming messages tape, or perform any of a set of additional functions
determined by which key they press on their touch tone phone. They also typically ignore the fact that virtually anyone
else can gain access to their messages by entering the appropriate code. Hence this is a wonderful system to gather
information from anyone without their knowledge, especially if they are technologically illiterate.
For the most part, there are two main types of "electronic password" used by these systems. They are amazingly
simple to crack, as they are typically only 2-digit or even 1-digit numbers. On some machines, the code must be entered
before the outgoing message is over, on others, it must be entered after the outgoing message, and on more sophisticated
models, it can be entered at any time.
MODERN 2-DIGIT PASSCODE SYSTEMS:
These are the most common systems in use today, typically made by Panasonic, AT&T, etc. In these systems, the code
can be entered before during or after the beep tone. For security reasons, we recommend BEFORE the beep tone, so your
intrusions are unnoticed... We will begin by discussing how to identify the passcode.
Now, the question of how to hack their code. Well, this is so simple, you don't even need a computer to do it. You can
just enter all 2-digit combinations until you get the right one (usually signalled by a series of beeps on the other end). A
relatively crude way was to enter each number in sequence 01, 02, 03, 04,...,99. This works, but may take too long to enter
all numbers within the 20-30 second window we typically have before the beep (The best time to play around, as any tones
entered after the beep will be recorded on his incoming messages tape, and could let him know something is up...). It is
also important to stop as soon as you hit the right number, as the additional entered numbers may be interpreted by the
answering machine as codes, and cause you to delete all their messages, or record a new greeting, etc. That is really asking
for trouble, and may cause them to try and change their password (though it's usually only possible to choose from a range
of three consecutive numbers anyway...). Still, you need to be careful not to let them catch on, eh?
A more sophisticated and fast way to do this is to take advantage of the fact that such machines typically do not read
two numbers at a time, and discard them, but just look for the correct sequence, reading one at a time. In other words, you
can enter all 100 possible codes with roughly 1/2 the number of keystrokes. Just enter as follows:
0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 0 9 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9,etc.
By reading in one phase we get:
0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1,1 2,1 3,1 4,1 5,1 6,1 7,1 8,1 9,etc.
In the other phase we get:
0 1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0 6,0 7,0 8,0 9,1 1,2 1,3 1,4 1,5 1,6 1,7 1,8 1,etc.
So by proceeding as follows we enter the following matrix sequentially, encompassing all possible 2 digit numbers:
0010203040506070809
11213141516171819
223242526272829
3343536373839
44546474849
556575859
6676869
77879
889
90
The last zero is important, as it completes the cycle, and allows for the code 9 0, which is the only one not as yet
allowed for. I must emphasize the importance of quitting as soon as you get the correct code, and also do not keep going
after the beep, if you are on a modern 2-digit access code system. This way, you can record the passcode for your future
reference, and prevent detection.
Now, we shall get on to the question of how to use their system, once you've broken in. In general, it is recommended
to obtain a copy of the owners' manual for various machines, but I have summarized some of the basics below.
PANASONIC
Here are the codes for a Panasonic Easa-phone KX-T1450. The KX-T2420 is identical without Room Monitor
function In this case, strange things happen when you enter 5:
1 = Back Space (Rewind the OGM tape)
2 = Skip Forward (Fast forward the OGM tape)
3 = Reset (Go back to the beginning of the OGM tape. MAY CAUSE ERASURE!!!)
4 = Memory Playback (Listen to new messages)
5 = Room Monitor (!!!! Listen to what is going on in the room NOW !!!!)
(This is only available on some models... But, try it...)
7 = OGM-REC (Record a new greeting!!!)
9 = OGM-STOP (Stop recording the new greeting)
* = OGM Skip (Don't Listen to the OGM)
0 = Turn off the machine !!!!!
To set to the answer mode remotely,
1. Dial the phone number
2. Wait 15 rings and hang up
To turn off the unit remotely (!!),
1. Dial the phone number
2. Push the code number, wait for the beep, enter 0, and hang up.
Panasonic answering machines also respond to the user with a series of codes which I will now outline. If you hear
something different, you may not be on a Panasonic system.
1 long beep : This is the "beep" after which people can leave their messages. Also, this is sounded when the correct
passcode is entered from a remote telephone. (Same sound- Hint for software developpers) It sounds when the tape has
fully rewound, and after each message is played back in entirety.
3 short bps : This sounds after the last message has been played back.
2 short bps : (10 seconds later) You are then being recorded - marker message
6 short bps : End of the incoming message tpe
6 short bps : (Quickly) Tape Broken (either incoming or outgoing)
Also, after entering the correct code, and after the one long beep, you will hear n additional short beeps, where n is
the number of new messages since the last time the messages were retrieved. Remember, you can listen to earlier ones on
the same tape, by additionally backspacing from the first new message.
Anyway, that is a basic summary of the Panasonic answering machine system for this machine. Many machines
unfortunately do not have the Room monitor function, so you can not see if you left your TV on, or anything like that...
Also, not all systems are identical, but on Panasonic machines, the numbers 1-4 are the same, so this is the most important
thing for you to remember anyway...
AT&T
On AT&T machines, like the Answering System 1304, the passcode is again a 2-digit number enterable before, during,
or after the beep. Follow the same guidelines as above.
After you enter the correct code on these machines, the system will automatically begin to play back new messages.
This is one key way to distinguish these machines from the Panasonic ones discussed above. To summarize the key
functions for the AT&T system, look below:
2 Rewind tape (tape rewinds for as long as this key is depressed)
3 3 Clear messages (reset the tape to the beginning.)
5 Fast Forward (tape ffwds for as long as this key is depressed)
7 Replay messages from the beginning
8 8 Turn off the answering machine
* Record a memo (After listening to messages) OR
Skip the greeting (w/o entering code)
0 Turn on the machine (after hearing two beeps)
# Pause (for 5-7 seconds)
Basically this system is less sophisticated than the Panasonic. You cannot change the OGM remotely (Damn!). As
seen above, the codes are also quite different, but fortunately they are easily distinguished by how they answer after the
security code is entered. The AT&T plays the messages, while the Panasonic just beeps to tell you how many new
messages are waiting. Here also, the rewind and fast forward functions operate for the length of time you depress the 2
and 5 keys respectively. On the Panasonic, they reewind or fast forward for 15 seconds. Also, this system has a pause
feature. By entering the # sign, you can pause for a few seconds while listening to a message. One extra safety (from your
perspective...) feature is that on this system you cannot erase messages until they have all played back, so you have less
risk of fucking up someone's system if it is an AT&T. You cannot change his greeting, and it is difficult to accidentally
erase his messages. If you wish to do so, however, you must hit the 3 key twice after listening to the messages in their
entirety. To record a memo (why would you want to do this???), you can press the * key after you hear 5 beeps (after
listening to the messages). Then begin to record. Also, the * key can be used before the message is finished to skip
listening to the OGM (useful for long distance callers who are actually paying for the calls...) without the need for entering
a security code. To turn on the system from remote points, you need to let it ring ten times, and after it answers with 2
"beeps", hit the 0 key.
It will subsequently be on. Similarly to turn it off, just enter 88. If the machine answers the phone with no greeting,
and just 2 beeps, it means the tape is full. You can now enter the security code (without risk of them recording the
BEEPS!!!) and listen away for a long time!!! Basically, this sums up the properties of the two most common systems I've
encountered of the 2-digit passcode variety.
SINGLE DIGIT PASSCODE MACHINES:
On some old model Panasonic and Phone Mate systems, the secret entry passcode is only a one digit number(!!!). On
these primitive systems, one merely enters the correct number, during the message, and playback begins. The other codes
are simple to derive, and just for the sake of making this hobby a sport, I will not give details for these systems. It is easy
enough to figure them out, and on these systems, it is hard to screw things up, as there is little you can do anyway.
APPLICATIONS:
This can be a rewarding adventure if you decide to follow those instructions I will point out some of the potentially
entertaining, useful, and/or informative applications of this technology.
As the true weirdos that we are, we shall begin with what we consider the truly entertaining applications... If you
have ever read the Village Voice, Screw or other such newspaper, you will notice a large number of advertisements for
"unlicensed massage parlors", "Oriental relaxation spas", "Escort services", etc. Call some of those numbers, preferrably
at off-duty hours (6-9 AM??) and try to hack their answering machine codes, listen to their messages, and let the fun
begin. You can hear lots of perverts, and lowlifes making appointments for "services" about which they are sometimes
graphic. Also, they often leave telephone and credit card numbers (What fun!!!). In case they are married, think of the
blackmail potential...
Further, these "adult entertainment companies" also often run help wanted ads in the Village Voice, and other such
publications. Call these, and you will get a plethora of phone numbers for nubile young women who might believe you are
the proprietor of the establishment in question. You might be able to con some "free samples" as a sort of "job
interview"... (hehehe) Especially given the illegal activity they desire to become involved in, they will be in no position to
complain when they find out you are not for real. Also, this way, the girls are often not so jaded as the old pros. They will
be trying to impress you if you get my drift, so you'll "hire" them.
Let us move on to the informative espionnage type of application of this technology. One could very easily use this
technology to listen to the messages of friends, and see what they are up to. If you are trying to call your buddy Evan, and
he isn't home, perhaps you can find out where he is by going through some of his old answering messages. Say, Eric called
him a couple of hours ago and suggested that Evan come over to his place for some beers. Well, you could then call Eric
and voila, you may connect with Evan.
Now, let us assume you have a girlfriend, and you suspect she might be cheating on you, yet you do not wish to
confront her about it without any evidence, or certainty of her cheating. Well, her new beau probably thinks her
answering machine is secure, and calls leaving messages about their upcoming dates, or various discussions of their
relationship. If you can hack her machine {actually, you might even look at the bottom (where the passcode is usually
printed...) to save time and energy.} you will be afforded with a plethora of potentially incriminating evidence. Hehehe.
A similar application can be when you have a new love interest. Suppose there is some woman you are interested in,
but you aren't sure if she is available. A little phone answering machine surveillance can provide all of the answers, and
then some... In case she asks her friends about you, you'll know everything she does. Also, you will learn details about her
life, and schedule, the better to run into her "accidentally", or strike up a conversation about "common" interests...
Now, if you know someone in the same profession, say musicians, and you call his answering machine, and hear
someone offering him a gig. You could call that person back, and accept the gig in your name, saying the originally called
musician was unavailable, but suggested that you call. Then be sure to erase the original message on your buddy's
machine. He'll never be the wiser, and you'll get more work. Though he may wonder why he isn't getting much work
anymore...
Changing the OGM is a good way to to get free phone calls. Change the message to something like,
"Hello?......Yeah.......Okay, sure, I'll accept the charges!" Then you can third number bill a call to their number and when
the operator calls for validation, she thinks she's talking to a real person and puts the call through for you.
Fun With Voicemail:
Voicemail is a little more complex to hack than answering machines are. I've experimented with a lot of voice mail
systems and they all work pretty much the same way. When you call your own voicemail to retrieve your messages, you
have to hit a certain key so you'll be prompted for your passcode. Usually it's either the "#" key or the "*" key. On some
systems it'll be the "0" key.
After you hit the right key, the system will say, "Hello, xxx" where "xxx" is the box owner's name. The name would be
something like, "Bob Smith" or "Mister Smith" or "Bob with Gimpstate Reality." You can either use the same methods as
you do for the answering machines OR pull out the phone book and look up the owner of the mailbox, either at his/her
home or business.
Call their home (or business) and when they answer, say, "Hi, this is Roy from Voice-Tel VoiceMail and we had
another system crash this morning. I'm trying to get everyone's accounts back up here, etc, etc. I'm not sure if your
message has been wiped out or not but I need your passcode so I can put that back in there for ya." To date, this has
worked every time.
Once they give you the passcode, thank them and immediately call their voicemail (before they do) and first change
their passcode. Then, change their outgoing message to something that's very insulting to the owner. Just play around in
their box and have a really fun time. If you do all this after the voicemail's office has closed (hopefully for the weekend)
you'll get to play in their box until the office reopens and the owner can call them and tell them what happened.
Some boxes will call the owner at home after he receives a message to let him know. You can change the number that
the mailbox is programmed to call and you can sometimes change how many attempts the system will make to call and
how often. In one case I changed the number to call to a guy's house I didn't like and the atttempts every five minutes.
After I left a message on the voicemail, this poor guy would get a call every five minutes for eight hours straight. The
system would ask him for a passcode that he didn't know so there was no way he could stop it. As long as I left a message
every eight hours, he would continue to get calls all weekend, every five minutes. By the time all this ended, they had the
local police and Ameritech Corporate Security (Yes, Jim Bayless) looking for the source.
As far as usefulness goes with voicemail hacking, don't ask me. Some systems will accept third party billing so you can
use it for that. Other than that, I always just hacked them for the fun of bugging the hell out of the owner and enemies of
mine.
Newspapers
A little trick that I picked up in Galveston, Texas was to deposit my .50 cents into the newspaper machine and take
out every newspaper in there. I would do that with several machines until I had a good size stack and trot over to WalMart and impersonate the newspaper salesperson. The others standing out there selling only got 50% of the profits while I
was getting 100% minus my $1.00 investment. I was always worried that the Houston Post truck would come by and ask
me who the hell I was but he never did.
Free Meals:
Most fast food restaurants have this silly little policy that goes, "The customer is always right!" Therefore, they lose a
lot of money to people like me. There's a few ways that you can get free food from them.
1. Walk in and ask to speak to the manager. If the cashier tells you "no", grab her by her big fat head and say, "Listen,
man, I'm not going to jail for you or nobody! Now let me speak to the manager." When the manager comes out, say, "Hi,
I'm Darin Kempton, I think my dad spoke to you earlier on the phone?"
She'll be confused and ask you to explain. "Well, he came through here this morning (or yesterday) through the drivethru and you forgot his Cheeseburger. I was supposed to come here to pick it up or get a refund or whatever." It never
fails, she'll get a cheeseburger, give it to you and apologize.
2. A better way would be to do the same thing only call ahead and explain to them what the problem is. Tell them that
you were there earlier and the dumb fuck working the drive-thru didn't put your Big Mac in the bag. Of course, don't say
dumb fuck and you can choose whatever kind of food you'd like. Tell them you'll sent your son there to pick it up. If you
pretend to be an annoyed dad you'll get more respect.
Usually when you call ahead in some places, they not only give you the food but they also include a "Free Meal" card.
McDonald's is notorious for this and a free meal includes a soft drink, sandwich of your choice and a large fries. Just be
polite over the phone but mad that your son has to "walk all the way back there." Sometimes, some places will give a cash
refund but they usually (not always, though) want a receipt. If you can dig up an old receipt that'll work. Don't get greedy
and say something like, "Yeah, you guys forgot 200 Cheeseburgers for me today. My son'll be there to pick 'em up." Call
me crazy, but I don't think that would work.
Make sure your order is an ordinary one that people get all the time. If they have enough time on their hands and it's
a strange order, they might go back through the tapes and say, "But we didn't SELL four number 2's today." Want a free
soda to go with your Big Mac and Fries?
3. Find an old cup. Either get one off of a table that hasn't been cleaned yet or one out of the trash can making sure
that it's not all slimey. Punch a very small hole in the bottom of the cup with your keys or pocket knife to start a small leak
in the cup. Most fast food places offer free refills so take your leaking cup to the counter and say, "I'd like my refill and this
cup's got a hole in it." They'll give you a refill and a new cup."
4. If the place doesn't offer free refills, get yourself a cup and fill it with water. Take it to the counter and say, "There's
something wrong with my 7-Up it tastes really carbonated and gross." When they're about to give you another soda say,
"Hey, could I have a Pepsi instead this time? Maybe that'll taste better." Or pick whatever soda you'd like to have.
5. If the fast food joint is one of those that let's you get your own drink, just ask for an ice water, dump out the water
and fill it up with your soda.
Employee Discounts:
A majority of the stores in any mall offers a discount for anyone who works anywhere in the mall. Always remember
that you are an employee of the mall. When you purchase something, ask the cashier if they offer the mall employee
discount. If they do, they'll knock off 10 or 20 percent of your purchase. I've been doing this forever and have never been
asked to prove that I work in the mall. They always just take your word for it.
This also works in some airport gift shops. If you want to buy something at one of those shops in the airport, tell them
you work at one of the restaurants or bars in the airport.
Free Movies:
If the theatre you're at has a doorman that rips tickets, and you want to see the movie with your friend (or friends),
it's easy to trick him. Purchase one ticket for all three of you. Go in, let him rip your ticket and go sit down. A second later,
get up and approach the doorman, "Excuse me, sir? Could I go to my car for a second. I forgot to turn off my headlights. I
can't seem to find my ticket stub anywhere. My memory ain't what it used to be since I got hit by lightning." Unless he's a
total asswipe, he'll let you go out to the parking lot. If he won't, demand to speak with the manager and he will let you.
Go outside and hand your ticket stub to your friend. Come back inside and sit down. Your friend now has a ticket stub
to get in with. Repeat the process if you want another person to get in. It's not a good idea to try this on slow nights
because they'll remember faces easier and won't fall for it. At busy theaters it's a sure thing. Opening night of any popular
movie will always work.
And then there's always the old sneaking in the back door of the theatre that I need not go into detail about. It's
childishly easy. When a movie lets out and all the people are rushing outside, go past them into the theater. If possible, get
a schedule of the theatre's starting and ending times for each movie. This way, when your movie ends you can go directly
to another auditorium and see a different movie.
When you're just about done with your Coke, but there's maybe a half inch left in the bottom of the cup, take it to the
water fountain and fill the cup with water. Take it to the counter and tell them it's disgusting and you want a new soda.
They'll give it to you.
Bring a dead roach to the movie with you. (Stop laughing and let me finish, dammit.) When you're just about done
with your popcorn, drop the roach in the popcorn bag and take the bag to the counter and pretend to be horrified and
demand to speak to the manager. No telling what you'll get out of this one. Could be anything from a free popcorn, a
refund on your tickets or popcorn or some free movie passes. They're always nice to people who find creatures in their
food.
Pay Phones:
If you're the type that happens to have a handy list of stolen calling card numbers, credit card numbers or a red box,
you can hang around a pay phone and sell long distance calls to tourists. You can make up your own rates just like a real
telephone comapany, charge extra for overseas calling, etc.
Another thing that's not as profitable but helps if you need a little spare change is to hang out at a pay phone that
gets used a lot. When someone starts to make a call on it, stop them and ask them if they'll give you their quarter if you get
them a free call. I've never been turned down for this one. If you use your red box, it'll really impress them.
Pay Phone Stuffing:
I read about some guy in the 70's that made around $100 a day, stuffing pay phones at the college until he was
caught. Basically, shove a bunch of toilet paper up the change slot on a pay phone.
It's a trick getting the toilet paper up there just right. There's sort of a trap door in there so it makes it almost
impossible to do but it is possible. Stuff enough in there to stop the coin flow but not too much to where a person using the
phone will be able to tell there's anything in there. You don't want them removing it and stealing all your profits. To make
sure it works before you leave the phone, put a penny in the coin slot. Since a pay phone doesn't accept pennies it'll come
right back out. If your penny doesn't come back, you know it's working.
A few hours later, or the next day take out all of the toilet paper and a ton of quarters should come out with it. To
make your pay phone the most profitable, you can put the other nearby payphones out of commission with a slegde
hammer or by simply cutting the wires on them.
Free Collect Calls:
Give your girlfriend the phone number to the pay phone. When you want to talk to her, call her collect, using a code
name that she'll know like, "Peterhead." When the operator asks her if she'll accept the charges, she'll say, "Hell no, not
from THAT asshole!" Then she hangs up the phone and calls you right back at the pay phone so neither one of you are
charged.
You can also make a list of codes for each other, each meaning a different thing. Like a collect call from "Mike" would
mean, "I'll be home in about an hour." A collect call from "Axl" would mean, "Call me at the pay phone at 7-Eleven," and a
call from, "Fred" would mean, "Listen, bitch, I've found another woman who can satisfy me sexually so I never want to see
you again!" Well, you get the idea. It's a nice little quarter saver if you're poor. You can use a different name for every pay
phone in town for her to call back.
Video Games:
Tell the manager of the arcade or 7-Eleven or whatever that their video game stole your quarter(s). Sometimes they'll
give you a quarter, no questions asked and sometimes they'll want to put the quarter in themselves to make sure you're
not pulling a fast one on them. Either way, you win.
If you REALLY need the money or you're just hard up to play the New Super-Advanced Mega Ultra Street Fighter VII
Classic, you could squirt a bunch of super glue into the coin slot so when they tried to put money in it wouldn't work and
they'd be sure to give you your money back. Sure, the store would have to spend hundreds of dollars fixing the machine
but, hey, you got a quarter, didn't you?
This also works with soda machines, snack machines, pay phones, etc. In a lot of colleges they have those snack
machines that carry food items that cost $2.25 or more! You can go to the nearest college book store or maybe the cashier
in the cafeteria and they'll give you a refund or mail you a check for that amount.
Shoplifting:
What can I say? It's shoplifting, we've all done it. You can do it either for the free merchandise or for the money. If
you shoplift a $20 shirt you can bring it back later and get a $20 cash refund. Usually they want a driver's license and
sometimes (although it's rare) they'll only give you a store credit slip.
Actual shoplifting isn't always neccessary, though. In a busy store you can take something off the shelf and bring it
directly to the customer service desk for your refund. Here's a few tips for idiot shoplifters:
Right before you shove the item in your purse or jacket, look EVERYWHERE for cameras and employees.
Remember that if you can see them, they will usually see you. It's better for them to see you looking around
suspiciously than for them to see you steal something because you didn't look around.
Steal things that they wouldn't expect you to steal. If you bother to notice, the cameras are mostly located
over the front cash registers, over the electronics (Never steal from electronics!), jewlry and make-up because
those are the things people are always taking. Take things like men's clothing, bed sheets, curtians, bathroom
supplies, tools, anything that doesn't have a camera hovering above your head.
Use the buddy system! Let's say you want to steal a bed sheet that's $35.00 but there's a camera over you
WATCHING. Have your friend hold up a blanket or towel, pretending to admire it or show it to you while
hiding you from the camera's view. While the blanket is up, steal the sheet.
Due to all of the refund fraud (I actually know a couple of female that literally made a living off of K-Mart fraud), a lot
of stores won't give you cash anymore if the refund is over ten bucks and you don't have a reciept. Instead, they'll mail you
a check or a money order for the amount of the refund which is just as good as cash, you just have to wait a couple weeks
to get it. K-Mart just started doing this a few months ago.
Vending Machines:
You can trick a Pepsi machine into think that you're putting in dollar after dollar so you'll get every soda in the
machine. Use a squirt bottle (like a Windex bottle or something similar) and fill it about 2/3 with water. The other third
should be filled with salt. Find a secluded Pepsi or Coke machine and squirt the entire bottle into the dollar bill slot.
After a certian amount of salt water is poured in there, you'll be able to push the buttons to get sodas one after the
other until the machine is totally emptied out. I usually take everything except for the diet soda. Diet soda sucks. I've only
done this now three times but it's worked every time. Try not to leave any finger prints just in case they decide to
investigate.
It seems to me that if you're putting in a constant flow of dollar bills into the machine for a 55 cent soda you'd get 45
cents back for every one you stole but for some reason you don't get any money, just the soda. Who am I to try and
understand the physics of soda machines. This would probably work on snack machines with dollar bill slots too,
although I've never tried. It's hard to find a secluded snack machine. Who's knows, maybe even dollar bill changer
machines will work.
Anyways, you can either save these sodas, give them to friends or sell them to the tourists on a hot summer day.
Imagine sitting next to a soda machine in front of K-Mart that sells sodas for .55 cents each. You could sit there with an ice
chest full of them and sell them at .40 cents each or something. A few hours of that could probably get you a hefty profit,
not to mention a short-term jail sentence.
I was told by a friend that you can take sulferic acid and pour it into the coin slot on a soda machine using a piece of
paper to funnel it in. I've never tried this or seen it done, but it could work. (Wouldn't acid eat through the paper, though?)
Chlorox or some other kind of bleach can be used as a sub for sulfuric acid.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #014
The Story Of Some Poor, Unfortunate Guy Who Bought A
Cordless Phone
Written On January 15, 1995 - Last Revision on January 15, 1995
If you've read PLA010.TXT on scanner frequencies, you probably noticed that little list of cordless phone frequencies.
The following is the chain of events that happened a few days ago when I was bored and scanning the local cordless phone
channels. All of this happened in beautiful, smelly Alton, Illinois, home of nothing really all that great. I'm just up here for
a week, visiting my parents. (And you guys thought I'd never come back.)
First of all, let me give you an idea of who the victim was (or is). His name is Dean Allsman but his good buddies call
him Dino. It turns out that Dino lives in a one story house across the alley from me and I have a clear view of the back of
his house and yard from my window. He lives with his wife, Shana, who he likes to be a total dickhead to. He sounds about
24 years old.
From listening to Dino for about two minutes I sort of got this mental picture of him and when I later got him to go
out in his yard and looked at him through a pair of binoculars, I found out that I was right. Dino is the type of guy who
wears scuzzy torn up clothing, smokes about two packs of Marlboros a day, has greasy, stringy hair down to his shoulders,
always wears a dirty cap and says, "Fuck", "Shit" and "Goddammit!" more than most people. Dino is also not that bright
and likes to go fishin' alot. He's pretty slow and it was very easy to piss him off. He liked to play a big, tough guy on the
phone with us, but then we'd hear him call his wife at work and he'd sound like he was about ready to cry.
So here's what happened. I was sitting here watching T.V. and scanning phones. Suddenly I hear a dialtone and
someone pushing touch tones. The signal is coming in really clear which means that he's close by. The phone rings and a
girl answers, "xxxxx, May I help you?" I pick up my phone, dial 411 and ask for the phone number to xxxxx and write it
down. Meanwhile, Dino is yelling at his wife something about not having anything to eat in the house, something is wrong
with the T.V., he makes a "joke" about beating her and continues to bitch. So I call the business that his wife, Shana, is
working at. When she answers, I say, "Better be careful, I think he's lying to you. He might actually beat you tonight."
She clicks over, "Dino, the weirdest thing just happened to me. Some guy..." And she explains what happened. They
try to figure it out and finally decide that some guy they know named Matt is responsible. So I decide to clear things up for
them by calling back and saying, "No, I'm not Matt" to Shana. She clicks back over.
Shana: "Dino, hang up, somebody's listening to our conversation! It was that guy and he said that he's not Matt."
Dino: "Huh?"
Shana: Explains a little more slowly what happened.
Dino: "Hey, if there's some dickhead out there listening, why don't you call ME, you chickenshit bastard! 258-xxxx,
you little fuck."
I decide this is going to be fun so I call up my faithful PLA co-worker Zak, who has the luxury of three-way calling and
explain the situation to him. So we call up Dino and give him a piece of our minds.
Dino: "Listen here, you little pricks, I'll give you $100 dollars if you come over here and show your faces instead of
hiding behind your fuckin' phones."
Zak: "Would that be cash or food stamps, sir?"
Dino: "Hey, fuck you! Come on over here. Show your face!"
RBCP: "If we come over will you give us a beer?"
Dino: "Yeah, I'll give you a beer. Come over and we can all drink a beer."
RBCP: "But then you'll kick my ass."
Dino: "No, I won't kick your ass. Just come on over here and show your face."
Zak: "Do you want my name?"
Dino: "Sure, what's your name?"
Zak: "It's Chris Tomkinson."
Dino: "Bullshit! You're lyin', you little jack-off."
So it goes on and on like this for quite awhile and gets boring so we hang up. Suddenly I have one of my psychic
flashes. I see several teen-age boys breaking into Dino's house. I must help our beloved police force and possibly save
Dino's life so I get on my cellular phone and dial 911.
911: "911, What's you're emergency?"
RBCP: "Yeah, I'm over here parked on the side of the street in my car and I'm watching these kids break into some
guy's house here. They're all going in the basement window and they've got flashlights.
911: "Alright, what address is being broken into?"
RBCP: I give him Dino's address.
He asks me for some more information and we hang up. I turn off all my lights and go to the window. Luckily, Dino
lives just down the street from the Wood River Donut Shop so the police get there in a matter of minutes. Three cars show
up and start shinning lights all over Dino's house. While all this is happening, Dino is on his phone talking to one of his
drinkin' buddies. I hear him on the scanner across the room, "Fuck! Hold on a minute!" Dino goes out and talks to the
police and they all leave.
After awhile things get a little boring again. Dino calls up his wife and tells her all that's happened. He calls up a
friend and tells him the same story which is his own distorted version of the truth. He wants to borrow his friend's Caller
I.D. box so he can find out who we are and his friend has to explain that it doesn't work like that and Dino would have to
call the phone company and sign up for the service. Even if he did that, Zak has this unconscience habit of dialing *67
before he dials anything, making Caller I.D. useless to anyone he calls. And I don't think Dino could figure out *57 at all.
I whip out my cellular phone again and make a collect call to Dino. The cell operator calls Dino and says, "This is
Ameritech Cellular operator. I have a collect call from a Roy Gerbil. The charges are approximately $1.95 a minute. Will
you accept the charges?" This upsets Dino a little bit for some reason and he refuses the charges. Go figure.
Zak pulls out his Ameritech phone book and picks a name at random, which is a Mr. Vaughn and gives him a call.
Keep in mind that it's now about 12:30 at night.
Vaughn: "Hello?"
RBCP: "Hi, this is the Ameritech Messaging Service. I have an emergency message for you. Do you have a pen or
pencil?"
Vaughn: "Uh, hold on a second. Okay, go ahead."
RBCP: "Is it a pen or is it a pencil you have?"
Vaughn: "What?"
RBCP: "Never mind, the message is that you need to call this number..." I give him Dino's phone number. "And that
it's an emergency and you need to call him as soon as possible."
Vaughn: "Okay. Thank you."
RBCP: "Thank you for using Ameritech."
A second later I hear Dino's cordless phone ringing on my scanner. He sounds a little pissed off when he answers.
Dino: "What!?"
Vaughn: "Uhhhh, someone just called here saying that I need to call you."
It drags on and on. Dino asks Mr. Vaughn all kinds of stupid questions and explains the entire situation to him in
detail. It's obvious that Mr. Vaughn just wants to go back to sleep.
Dino: "Do you have a cordless phone?"
Vaughn: "No."
Dino: "Do you have Caller I.D.?"
Vaughn: "No."
Dino: "Okay. Do you have a cellular phone?"
Vaughn: "No. Whoever called me was some guy from Ameritech. It wasn't a kid."
Dino: "Did he say anything about Roy?"
Vaughn: "Uh..no, he said he was from Ameritech Message Service and he had a message for me."
Dino: "You live here in East Alton?"
Vaughn: "No, I'm in Wood River. I don't know where they got my number."
Dino: "Well, my number's in the phone book. They call me and all they can do is sit there and play little games with
me. And I told 'em, hey, come down here and I'll give you a hundred dollars to see your face. I just wanna see who the hell
you are. They say that they live here and his name is Chris something but I don't even know if that's true or not."
We repeat this trick several times. I introduce myself as Ameritech, Illinois Relay Service, the Ameritech Illinois Goo
Goo Relay Company and several other random companies. We give them all Dino's number and each time Dino keeps
them on the phone asking them all kinds of questions. One question he always asks is if they have Caller I.D. So Zak calls
Dino and I talk to him.
Dino: Sounds a little worn out. "Hello?"
RBCP: "Uh, yeah, I just got a call from Illinois Relay Service and I'm supposed to call you or something?"
Dino: "Okay, let me explain to you what's going on. There's these kids..." He gives me the whole story and finally asks
me the question I was waiting for. "Do you have Caller I.D.?"
RBCP: "Yeah."
Dino: "Could you look and see who called you?"
RBCP: "Okay, hold on, let me get up......Alright, you want the number that's on here?"
Dino: "Yeah!"
RBCP: "It's 931-4402."
He thanks me and hangs up. He immediately calls the number I gave him. Little does he know that it's the number of
some kid that we like to pick on. The kid's dad answers the phone. Dino says, "I got your number, you mother fucker!" And
the kid's dad just sits there not knowing what to think. Finally, he hangs up on Dino. Then we hear Dino SINGING! "Ha ha
you little pricks, I know who you aaaare!" So Zak calls him.
Dino: "Hello?"
Zak: "I don't think you're gonna get a record contract anytime soon with that voice."
Dino: "Hey, wait a minute! Hey, don't have fucking people calling my fucking house. You little fucking jack off.
What's your number, man?"
Zak: "258-0357" (Chris Tomkinson's number)
Dino: "Are you sure?"
Zak: "No, I'm telling you a big fucking joke."
Dino: "Well, I imagine you would because that's all you've been doing all fucking night long is playing a fucking joke.
Let me tell you something else. Every fucking call you make at my wife's fucking work number is being recorded, but I
know you don't care."
Zak: "Will your wife sell me the tapes because I've said some pretty funny things tonight."
Dino: "Hey, lemme tell you something, boy, you fuck with my wife, you're fucking with your own life."
Zak: "I already have. She's not that good."
Dino: "Oh, yeah, right."
Zak: "And she gave me herpes."
Dino: "Huh?"
Zak: "I said she gave me herpes."
Dino: "Oh, that's good."
Zak: "Well, I gotta go now."
Dino: "Hey, wait a minute, man, let me get a pen"
Zak: "Why?"
Dino: "Why? Because I wanna call you. What's your name?"
Zak: "I'm G Homey Roy. Who you down with?"
Dino: "Fuck you!"
Zak: "Okay. Bye."
Dino: "Later on, dickhead!"
A few more people call Dino and tell him the Goo Goo Relay Service left his number for them. We start to get bored
again so we call Dino.
RBCP: "Hi, Dino."
Dino: "What the fuck do you WANT?"
RBCP: "I just wanted you to know that I'm monitoring all of your phone calls."
Dino: "Yeah, I know you are, dickface."
RBCP: "You know the grey box on the side of your house that says Telephone Network Interface on it? Well, I've
plugged my phone into that and I have complete control over your lines. Resistance is useless."
Dino: "Yeah, you're full of shit you little fucker! Why don't you tell me where you are?"
RBCP: "Okay, we're parked across the street by the church in a blue van. There's a satellite beamed at your house so
we hear everything said even when you're not on the phone."
Dino: "Bullshit, that's the churches van. It's always parked there."
RBCP: "Of course it's always parked there. We always watch you. There's a camera over there on your bookshelf."
Dino: "Listen, you little dickweeds. I'm gonna find out who you are."
Zak: "Hey, Dino, exactly what year of grade school did you drop out of?"
We hang up and he calls his wife at work. As tough as he was acting with us on the phone, he sounds like he's about
ready to cry when talking to his wife.
Shana: "What's wrong with you?"
Dino: "Man, these guys have got something going. They got a big setup somewhere and they said there's some kind of
grey box on the outside of the house. I'm walking around the house right now looking for it.
I jump up off the couch and run to the window. I look but I must have just missed him. A second later he tells his wife
that he's back inside and can't find any grey box.
Dino: "They say they've tapped our phones and they're watching our house."
Shana: "Dino, they're probably lying and they're just listening to the cordless phone."
I get on my cellular phone again and place a call to California. I tell the roaming operator that I want to bill it to my
home phone. The roaming operator asks me for my home phone number and I give him Dino's number.
CELL: "Okay, I'm going to have to verify charges. Could I have your name?"
RBCP: "Yeah, my name is Shana."
CELL: "Shana?"
RBCP: "Are you making fun of me?"
CELL: "Uh, no. Hold on, please."
Dino: "Hello?"
CELL: "Hi, this is Ameritech Roaming operator #1753. I have a Shana placing a call to California and wants to bill the
charges to you. The charges are approximately $1.95 a minute. Will you accept the charges?"
Dino: "Is this really the cellular operator?"
CELL: "Yeah..."
Dino: "Well, I'm talking to Shana on the other line. Is there any way you can trace that call?"
CELL: "No, I can't trace the call but I can put a block on the phone so they won't be able to bother you any more."
Dino: "Okay, could you do that?"
The cellular operator makes arangements to have all attempts to bill calls to his house denied. This means that
anyone wanting to make a legitamate collect or third-party call to Dino from a cellular phone won't be able to. Of course,
that's just on the cellular phone, but he thinks this means that there's absolutely no way that we'll be able to call him on
any phone ever again.
Dino clicks over and starts talking to Shana again. He explains to her that everything's been taken care of and we'll
never be able to call them again. While he's explaining this, we call him and let him know that he's completely wrong.
After awhile, they hang up and Dino dials zero. He asks the operator to connect him with local police. Then he tells
the policeman the whole story and the policeman treats him like a total idiot and tells him there's nothing they can do and
he should try calling the phone company. So he hangs up and dials 1-800-244-4444. Lucky for him, the phone company's
billing office here is open 24 hours a day.
"You have reached the Ameritech Customer Billing Office for residential accounts. All representatives are currently
busy. For faster service, please call us Tuesday through Friday during the daytime. Your call will be answered by the next
available representative. Your approximate wait time is greater than ten minutes..."
Poor guy sits on the phone listening to Ameritech hold music for fifteen minutes. During this time we keep trying to
call him but he won't answer. Finally he gets through and tells the Ameritech representative his whole story and the
Ameritech lady says she can change his phone number or get him a Caller I.D. box. It would cost $80 to have his number
changed. Then the billing operator claims that there is no such thing as Cellular Operator. This just shows us how much
phone company employees really know.
So he hangs up with her and starts thumbing through the yellow pages. He calls up about every cellular network
number in the book only to find that they all seem to be closed at 1:30 in the morning. Then he happens upon the number
to the Illinois Relay Service and calls them. He explains his life story to THIS operator and she doesn't know what the hell
he's talking about. "Sir, this is the Illinois Relay Service for deaf people. I have no idea what you're saying."
Later That Night...
A few hours have passed and I've hung up with Zak. Dino calls his wife and complains to her for awhile. Then he calls
back the Ameritech billing office, gets put on hold for another ten minutes and arranges to have his phone number
changed to an unlisted number. Fortunately for him, they decide that they won't charge him $80 to do this, just $1.85 a
month to keep it unlisted. The operator gives Dino his new unlisted number and I write it down.
Around 4:15 a.m. he's talking to his wife at work and they're still trying to figure out everything that's happened and
who was responsible.
Dino: "Well, I'm wondering about this one house across the alley behind the church. The whole time all this was
happening the light upstairs was on and now they're not calling anymore and his light is turned off."
Shana:"Which house is it exactly?"
Dino: "There's the parking lot, a yellow house and then a blue house and and that's the fucking one I'm talking
about." (I turn on my light) "There his light just went on again!"
Shana:"I know who lives there. It's RedBoxChiliPepper!" (Actually, she says my real name.) "I went to grade school
with him. He knows all about computers and phones and stuff. He was like a total weird-o in grade school. I bet it's him."
Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I've been found out!" I suddenly remember why
Shana's voice sounds so familiar. I know exactly who she is. She used to date my brother in Junior High. So I dig up my
old flip file to look her up and get her old phone number, address, parents' names, sister's name, etc. (I WAS a weird-o,
you see.) I have no idea who Dino is but I'm starting to think that maybe it's a good idea to cut my vacation short and go
back to New Mexico. Meanwhile, Dino is looking up my picture in Shana's Junior high school yearbook.
Dino: "I can't find it anywhere."
Shana:"It's in the Juniors section."
Dino: "There isn't a Junior section. It goes Senior, Sophomore, Freshman. I think they forgot to put Junior in here."
(I laugh.)
Shana:"Nooo...Look right after the Senior section, it should be there."
This goes on and on. After ten minutes he finally gets to the Junior section. Then he has the task of figuring out how
to spell my name which really isn't that difficult. It takes him maybe fifteen minutes but he finally gets it. Dino's comment
when he finds it is, "Yeeeah, he LOOKS like someone that would do something like this." Now, how can you tell, just by
looking at a picture that I'd be the type of person who'd do something like this?
Shana happens to work at a place that my parents have done business at. She pulls up their names on her computer
and gives Dino my phone number. They talk a little while longer and hang up. I know Dino is about to call me so I dial a
blank phone company test number so the phone doesn't ring downstairs and wake up my parents. A second later I answer
the call waiting. I answer in a deep, sleepy voice.
RBCP: "Hello?"
Dino: "Yes, could I speak to a RedBoxChiliPepper?"
RBCP: (Sounding annoyed.) "He doesn't live here anymore."
Dino: "Well, I think he's been calling my house tonight."
RBCP: "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
Dino: (Starts explaining the whole thing to me...)
RBCP: "Well, RBCP hasn't lived here for about two years now. If he's calling you he's calling you from Texas. I don't
know what you're talking about."
Dino: "Okay, thank you."
We hang up and Dino calls back his wife. Lucky for me, he assures his wife that he talked to my dad and it wasn't me
after all.
Dino: "Yeah, they said he's going to college in Texas." (College? What?)
Shana:"Did it sound like him?"
Dino: "No, but it could have been a friend of his or something."
Shana:"All I know is that he was really strange in grade school and junior high. He had a cellular phone back then and
all this equipment and he knew how to take a phone apart and tap it..."
Shana goes on and on about all this stuff that I know how to do. I don't know where she was comming up with all of it
but most of it was either exaggerated or not true at all. I remember in Junior High I got caught with my cordless phone at
lunch when me and a friend were making free calls off of some guy's cordless line near the school. Sheesh, that was 1986.
Not even yuppies had cellular phones back then. The being able to take a phone apart is accurate but not exactly
something I went around doing all the time. As for me being some kind of weird-o, that's right on the money.
The Next Day...
I was woke up the next morning at 10:00 a.m. by the sound of Shana dialing a number on the cordless phone. I had
left my scanner on all night so I could listen to things as they developed. I also left my speaker phone on the blank test line
all night in case Dino decided to call back, which he never did. I reached over and shut off my speaker phone and listened
to Shana.
Shana called her parents, told them about everything and gave her mom the new phone number. She called her sister
and did the same. I can't figure out WHY they would keep using the cordless phone since it's obvious that that's how we're
listening in. Anyway, I heard Shana tell the story to several people that morning and each time it got wilder and wilder
each time. Both her and her husband seem to have a gift for making up stuff to make it sound more interesting.
So that's about it. Nothing much more happened. Although I have their new phone number and everything we don't
plan on calling him back. Besides, I'm leaving town in a couple days and it would be boring if we couldn't listen to their
reactions on the scanner. I hope you enjoyed reading about this experience as much as we did creating it. Maybe we'll
eventually publish all of Dino & Shana's information so you can call and ask them about it. Most of this file was translated
from the tapes (I recorded most of what happened.) and the rest of it was done from memory. Any comments or questions
about this whole thing are welcome.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #015
Beige Boxing To Take Over Your City
Written On January 25, 1995 - Last Revision on January 29, 1995
Here's what happened when I took beige boxing just a little too far while living in Celina, Ohio (population 8000). I
started out like most people, just finding a telco box or a neighbor's box on the side of their house, plugging in my phone
and dialing away at the 900 numbers and harrassing operators. But that got really old after awhile. So I set up sort of a
permanent beige box on my next door neighbor's line. I hooked a line into their box, ran it under the siding to make it
invisible, down next to a basement window and into the ground. From there I dug a trench in the ground about 3 inches
deep from their box to my box and hooked the wire into my box, to the yellow and black wires.
Now I could use their line to call bbses around the world for free! I decided not to make any direct long distance calls
so they wouldn't start investigating and find the extra line going into the ground. So I only third-number billed and used
calling cards from their line and tried as best as I could not to annoy the operators too bad.
So you see, it started out sort of innocently, but then I began to eavesdrop on a lot of my neighbors' conversations.
After awhile the conversations got sort of boring so I hooked up my two-line phone to both of the lines and started
conferencing total strangers onto their line while they were in the middle of a conversation, which caused quite a bit of
confusion, especially when I hooked them up to overseas people. Then to make things worse, I'd pop in and say in a deep
voice, "Please deposit 25 cents!"
Pretty soon, my neighbors got to be too boring for me. I mean, they reacted to my pranks on their line the exact same
way every time and their conversations without me were totally boring, hardly worth listening to. So I went to my OTHER
next door neighbor's house one night to check out the possibilities on their line and ended up doing the same thing to their
line only running the line in my basement window and upstairs to the spare bedroom where the other two lines were
hooked up.
Since I only had one conference phone that didn't work very well to begin with, I decided to build a simple
switchboard on top of my desk. It ended up being a piece of sheet metal with five 2-position switches on it. Switch 1 was
my own phone line, switch 2 was the first neighbor's line and switch 3 was the other neighbor's line. Also, each switch had
a light above it to indicate In-Use. Normally, the switches would be in the "off" position. If I wanted to use a line, I flipped
it on and hit the speakerphone button on my desk phone or used my official Bell operator headset. (Actually, one of those
cheap headsets that you buy from Radio Shack but hey, I drew a Bell symbol on it!)
So now with their two lines and my own three-way calling line, I had a total of four phone lines to play with. The new
neighbor's calls proved to be much more interesting that the others. They had a son and teen-aged daughter who liked to
talk on the phone alot. And when their conversations DID get a little boring, I helped them out by patching my Sound
Blaster card directly into my switchboard so I could add sound effects, movie clips and rude noises to their conversation.
Lemme tell you, their reaction to this was fantasic. Each kid would blame it on the other and when I did it to either of the
parents, they would yell at their kids to quit playing around on the phone.
Now I'm happy and have plenty of things to do with my spare time which I have a lot of. I'd been using various calling
cards from both of their lines late at night to call bulletin boards for about a month and a half and still Telco Security
hadn't called them up questioning them about anything. I thought maybe they were just trying to build a case against them
and were holding out for more fraud. In any case, I decided to keep close tabs on their phone calls in case AT&T called
them questioning anything so I'd have advance warning to sneak back over and disconnect their lines. To help with this I
bought a few of those cool Radio Shack deals that automatically records all incomming and outgoing calls on your lines so
I could keep up with their phone calls while I was at work.
Then something horrible happened. Most of my favorite phone companies around the United States figured out that
they were being ripped off big time by people who order calling cards with personalized pin numbers for other people.
This security flaw was my major source of calling cards and now they had set it up so if you wanted to do this you needed
the victim's social security number. Getting their social security number isn't a super hard task but it sure was a pain in the
ass to have to do that every time I wanted a new calling card. They were making things HARD for me. I only had about
twenty cards left and my cards went dead pretty quick lately because of my extensive international calling. I could thirdnumber bill everything but if you've ever tried to do that for a bbs call you know that it's a pain in the ass to get it right.
That's when I went over to the window and looked across the street. I saw a little shop with a pay phone next to it and
a guy in a suit talking on the pay phone. Since car phones aren't a big thing yet in this little town, the few yuppies that
there are usually stop by this phone to make their important phone calls. And of course they prefer credit cards to pocket
change. A plan started to form in my head. Of course I couldn't run a phone wire underneath the street because I just
might be noticed using a jackhammer on the concrete. So...
That night at 3:00 a.m. I got on my cellular phone and dialed the direct line to the Celina police. I explained to them
that I had just seen a few kids jump the fence to the boat yard and break into the office. I listened in on my scanner as the
dispatcher sent all available units to the boat yard. (All two of them, eh?) I was ready when I heard that and I ran across
the street to the pay phone. I had done this a million times before but usually it was in a secluded area and there wasn't
such time pressure.
I pulled out my specially cut alan wrench and opened the bottom panel of the pay phone. I set the base unit of my
cordless phone there in the bottom and clipped the wires into the pay phone line. Then I plugged the AC cord into the
receptacle. (Most phones have these in the bottom panel to power the light on top of the phone.) I wrapped a garbage bag
around the phone to protect it from water damage and the evil GTE linemen and put the panel back on. The whole thing
took less than four minutes. Meanwhile, the brutal Celina police force are crawling around the boat yard with flashlights,
looking underneath all the boats for these hardended criminal kids. They never found them, though.
I went back home and picked up my cordless handset. I turned it on and dialed the local Wal-Mart. A recording came
on, telling me to deposit twenty-five cents. So I called a number a little further away. I called Mann's Chinese Theater in
Hollywood, California and was asked to deposit $2.25. I tried red boxing the coins in but I think the reception was
screwing it up. I ended up going through a live operator who put the call through for me.
I decided I'd better get this fixed. I didn't need GTE dropping a trouble card on my pay phone and discovering my
cordless base unit in there. So I took the handset apart and hard-wired it into my switchboard. I replaced the rechargeable
batteries with an AC line and built a red box on the switchboard that was hooked diectly into the cordless phone's
microphone. Then I boosted the antenna by hooking it to the old T.V. antenna on top of my house. This was getting to be
pretty fun!
The next morning I had the alarm set for 10:00 a.m. so I could sit at my window and wait for yuppies to use my pay
phone. My first customer came at 10:18, a little kid who used a copper slug. Damn him, I should call his parents for this.
Anyway, I came on and impersonated the operator, telling him he was in big trouble and if he didn't put in a real fifty cents
immediately I would come over there and rip that St. Louis Cardinals hat right off his head and hit him with it. He hung
up, looked nervously around and quickly disappeared into the alley.
At 10:57, while I was in the middle of my Frosted Flakes breakfast, the neighborhood mailman stopped by to use the
phone. I looked through my binoculars and saw him punch a "zero" first. I was so happy, milk came out of my nose. When
he tried to enter his calling card number, I interferred by hitting some extra numbers. He tried it again and I messed him
up again. Then I heard the AT&T recording, "Please hold for operator assisstance." An operator came on and asked for his
card number. He read it off as I wrote it down. I was so grateful to him that I didn't even harrass him during his call.
I got three calling card numbers that day. The next day I got a little more creative. I got on the pay phone line and
dialed a phone company number that just sat there, blank. When a guy picked up the phone, I played a recording of a dial
tone into the phone. When he began dialing I stopped the recording and when he finished dialing I played the recording,
"AT&T! Please enter your calling card number now..." He began to enter his calling card and I came on and talked to him
in a really annoying nasal voice.
ME: "AT&T, What seems to be the problem?"
HIM:"I'm just using my calling card."
ME: "Okay, what's your calling card number?"
HIM: Gives me his number.
ME: "That card's not going through here. Do you have another card?"
HIM:"Uh...yeah, I have my AT&T calling card."
ME: "Okay, let's try that one."
HIM: Gives me his number.
ME: "Okay...Yep, that one's okay. Here's your call and fuck you for using AT&T"
I had no idea what number he had dialed in the first place so I got an old recording of Tina, the fone sex operator and
put it on the line. "Hi, this is Tina...Are you ready for a hot time?..." The poor guy tried to talk to her and finally realized
that it was a recording and hung up. I watched him walk down the street and use the phone booth a few blocks away.
A few days later I bought one of those touch tone decoders. It had a LCD display that showed me exactly what digits
were being dialed on any line I hooked it up to. I hooked this into my switchboard and not only was it easier for me to get
calling cards, I could see exactly who my neighbors were calling. I started keeping files on the neighbors and who they
called. Oh, did I mention that I have no life. You may have figured that out already.
Two months later not much had changed. I still had the same setup and was working on expanding it. I added 10
more switches to it for extra lines and started wandering around my neighbors' yards late at night, looking for new
possibilities. I also hooked an old bulky cellular phone into my setup so I could connect neighbors to the cellular roaming
network and I added another phone so I could listen in on more that one line at a time without them hearing each other.
The little green telco box on our block is very well secluded. It sits near some bushes in the alley behind my house,
about three houses over. The only problem with it is that it's sitting right underneath a bright street light. I eventually took
care of the street light with my pump pellet rifle. It took an hours worth of patience to finally hit it just right, but I finally
turned it off. That being accomplished, I went to the hardware store and bought a cable. This nifty little cable had fifty
separate wires inside of it, enough to hook twenty-five phones to.
When dark finally came, I grabbed my back pack and hiked over to the telco box. I opened it and started hooking my
phone, dialing 1-800-MY-ANI-IS on every set of terminals in there and taking notes of what was what. I was going to go
for choice and pick my least favorite neighbors but decided that would take forever so I hooked up to the first fifty
terminals (on the backside, so telco wouldn't notice) and put the box back together. I hoped I hadn't hooked up one of my
neighbor's that I already had hooked to my house 'cause it'd suck to waste a whole line like that.
Now the hard part. I dug a trench a few inches deep from the telco box, down the alley, into my own back yard, then
through the yard and into that little hole underneath my basement window. It took me over three hours to complete all
this but when I was finished there wasn't a trace that anything strange was going on. I had to cut a hole in the floor to get
the cable upstairs to my switchboard and found myself hoping that my land lord wouldn't drop by anytime soon. He gets
testy when I drill holes in his property. So I got that far and went to bed. I couldn't really do much more 'cause I needed to
go to Radio Shack and buy some more switches and a larger piece of sheet metal.
Another month passes. I've dicovered that I've got access to the phones in random houses as far away as two blocks
AND another pay phone. I've hooked about every sound device I own into the switchboard, including my computer's
Sound Blaster, tape deck, CD player, voice changer and echo machine. I have the ability to hook twenty-eight lines up to a
single phone, creating a monster party line of confused people and my calling card list has reached almost 100 numbers.
That's the most I've ever had all at once.
Then on Friday the power bill arrived. It was an outrageous amount, probably because I have a habit of turning on
heaters while opening windows, leaving lights on all day, my computer, etc. It didn't seem fair that I should have to pay so
much to them, especially since I stopped going to work as often so I could sit at home and play operator. My neighbors
have a receptacle on their deck that they use to plug in the bug lamp and sometimes a radio. I figure if they're not using it
all that much, I'll take advantage of that.
That night I dig down about a foot where the plug is and cut open a section of the plastic pipe to expose their wires.
Carefully using rubber gloves and pliers, I managed to splice my orange 100 foot extension cord into their line. I ran that
under ground to my basement window and start plugging my large appliances in. The refrigerator, space heater,
microwave and electric oven. So I walk over to their power meter and peer in to the glass bubble and notice the disk is
spinning quite rapidly. Oh, well. They own a pool and deck. Obviously they can afford a little more electricity.
I figure that if they're rich, they can probably afford cable T.V. and I notice that their cable line is conveinently located
next to their phone box. So the day after that I get free cable. A few weeks later, free cable alone just isn't enough for me. I
want to be able to control what my neighbors watch. So I hook up sort of a loop so that their cable line is comming to my
house before it gets to them. Then I build this little switchboard next to my phone switchboard that consists of a few T.V.
monitors, a VCR, a video camera and some video mixing devices.
By the time I'm through hooking it all up, I have the power to change their channels, make them watch my home
video collection or wipe their T.V. show off the air with a variety of 37 different wiping techniques! I also have a monitor
set up showing me exactly what they're seeing in their house. By now you're probably wondering what these neighbors did
to me to make me want to be so mean spirited to them. Well, nothing. They just lived at the wrong house at the wrong
time.
I tune in to their phone and T.V. The old lady is talking to Gertrude while watching The Price Is Right and her
husband is out in back, trying to figure out the problems they've been having with their bug zapper light. I leave her T.V.
picture on but mute the sound so I can talk over Bob Barker. Using my voice changer, I make the following
announcement:
"Greetings, Earthling Mildred. I am alien visitor Q359-Kriegsmitzelpapshmeer. I come in peace. Take me to your
leader, Bob Barker or I will disentigrate your house. Oh, and I also want a Metallica box CD set and I want to know what a
vaccum cleaner is..."
I left them alone completely until Mildred got back from the hospital. While they were gone, I bought some heavy
duty wire and tapped in to their circuit breaker box, giving me complete control. I also ran their water line through my
house so I could leech and control that. When they got home Mildred got in the shower and Herb sat down to watch
Tammy Faye Bakker (whatever) on T.V. I walked over to my "Department of Water" switchboard and turned a valve. This
valve released the five gallon tank of washing machine Blue (dye) into their water lines. Then I popped in the porno video
"Edward Penishands" and sent that into their living room T.V. set. Herb was so engrossed in his show that he didn't even
hear Mildred screaming something about alien invasions.
A few months later after spending the day mowing my neighbor's lawn while they were gone (I mowed the words "WE
COME IN PEACE"), it's 2:30 in the morning and I grab my backpack and sprint over the the Celina Power & Light
building. I begin to dig a trench from their building to my basement window...
I think I've been using a few too many illegal substances or something. Actually, I made this whole thing up. I was
bored, okay? Anyone that believed any of it even for a second needs to have their head checked out. So the story is
probably full of holes although I really did live in Celina, Ohio for a few months and ran up quite a hefty phone bill. It was
my own bill, though. I really hope this file is an inspiration to all and hope that the Celina Police will stop looking for those
kids in the boat yard after they read this.
Free Power, Cable & Phone:
Now the instructional part of this file. If you live in an apartment, doing all of this is super easy because you don't
have to run around the neighborhood digging holes and the chances of getting caught are practically nothing.
Power:
Find a wall in your apartment that is also the wall of the person living next door. About a foot from the floor cut a
small hole in the wall. Using a flashlight and maybe a mirror, look around in there to see if you can find the neighbor's
recepticle. If you can't, cut a hole a couple feet over and try again.
Once you find one, splice open the outer covering to the wires, exposing two more wires. Splice those open, keeping
in mind that these are LIVE wires so be careful unless you consider afro hairstyles to be "in." If you don't want to work
with the live wires you can either cross the two wires with a screwdriver or something, tripping the breaker or find their
power box and shutting their power off. If you can't do this, then continue carefully.
So hook up your own extension cord or whatever into their line and tape up all the exposed stuff with electrical tape
so you don't burn down your apartment. Plug in all your appliances that suck up a lot of juice into their line. Space heaters
and the fridge is a good place to start.
Cable & Phones:
Use pretty much the same method to obtain free cable and phone. Start punching holes in the walls until you find
their cable and phone lines and splice your own hookups into theirs. The chances of them ever finding any of this are
pretty slim 'cause when a big power bill arrives, the man of the house does not generally start knocking holes in the walls,
looking for the source of the problem. It's a good idea to not make any direct long distance calls from the phone. Besides, if
you start dialing a bunch of 900 numbers, his poor kids are gonna get grounded.
Another way to get the phone line is to find the main phone box on the outside of the apartment. Each customer
should have four terminals, a green, red, yellow and black. So find out which terminals are yours. Now pick your
neighbor's red and green terminals and hook them to your black and yellow. If you don't have a legitimate phone to begin
with, you can hook them to your red and green or find another neighbor's line and hook THAT to your red and green so
you'll have two "pirate" lines. Remember, if funny things start happening to them, it won't be too hard for the phone
company to look in the box and see that you're responsible.
Now I sure hope that your good at patching up holes in the walls because when your apartment manager sees all the
holes, you'll probably be evicted. If you're not bright enough to patch the holes, trying lowering the pictures on the walls
to cover them. I'm sure THAT won't look suspicious. Or get your little brother to stick his head in the hole and tell him
never to move.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #016
Deaf Phones, Phone Books and Phone Bills
written by Zak
Written On January 15, 1995 - Last Revision on February 2, 1995
TDD Fun:
Roy! Welcome to PLA file #16. This file is about TDD machines. Those cute little keyboards and acoustic hookups
that you find on payphones. TDD devices can provide hours of fun for a bored phreak, or just someone who has nothing
better to do with his life, like me. TDD's are so deaf people can pay outrageous phone bills just like the rest of us.
Say you are walking through the airport on the way back from HoHoCon and see one of these cool things. Flip the
power switch next to the screen, put the receiver on the rubber circles. Dial the relay number for whatever state you're in,
and the operator will begin typing to you. Ask her to call somebody for you. It has to be in that area code, and you have to
pay with a calling card or third number billing or another fraudulent method if you're going to call long distance.
So, you found a TDD, and the operator called your friend Bobby. If he doesn't know about the relay service, she will
explain it to him. Then, she will say WHATEVER you type on the keyboard, no matter how silly, obscene or illegal, she
must repeat what you tell her to. We have had them talk about such things as cocaine deals, blowing up commuter flights,
and even "Oh baby, my pussy is so wet."
As a service to deaf people, TDD's don't charge anything for a local call. If anyone knows where there is a TDD
machine in the 618 area code, tell me because I really want to steal it. Also, most TDD machines don't have any
punctuation and only type in CAPS so you need special codes to do some things.
Q === a question mark
GA == Means Go ahead
SKSK= Goodbye
Getting a copy of someones phone bill:
This is an easy and fun way to get revenge on someone. Just call up the Billing Office (Ameritech: 1-800-244-4444)
and get the operator for home accounts. Tell her you will be out of state around the time your phone bill arrives, and you
want it to be sent to another address. Usually, the operator will be happy to do this for you, but sometimes you get the
operator who seems to think that she is with undercover Bell Sekurity, and want info like your SS# or want to call you back
at home. If you get one of these types of operators, hang up or something. You might already have the victims SS#, but
most of the time, it will not be needed.
Now it's time to choose a place for the bill to be sent to. Some good places are, his parents house, a friends house, or
maybe a P.O. Box that you got in someone else's name. Then, you will have his family and friends numbers, and most of
the other people he calls. You can call him up and recite some numbers off the bill, or how much he owes. One nice thing
about this is that this will probably make him late paying the bill, and he will owe a late charge!
Phone Books:
Once again, call up the billing office, and press whatever button gives you the phone directory ordering line. An
operator will ask how she can help you. Tell her what city, state or country you want a phone book from. She will ask for a
bunch of things like your name, number and address.
Give her whatever name you want the book sent in, someone else's number, and a P.O. Box you want the books sent
to. The books that you order wil be billed to whatever number you gave her, so it really doesn't matter if the address
belongs to the person that gets the bill for them.
Cactus@basenet.net to mail Zak. Long live the PLA!
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #017
Letters From The Phone Company
Written On February 2, 1995 - Last Revision on February 2, 1995
Over the years I've gotten a lot of nasty letters from various phone companies, most of which I've kept for sovineers.
So here are a selected few for you to laugh at or turn me in or whatever.
The following is a letter that I received after allowing everyone in the world that I knew to start third number billing
all their long distance calls to my home phone that I wasn't going to pay. Keep in mind, people were billing calls all over
the WORLD from about ten different states and a couple of friends from Australia were doing the same. About a week
after I got this letter, a representative from GTE Security North called me and said that since my social security number
was invalid, she was shutting my phone off and the next morning it was dead forever.
---------------February 25, 1994
RedBoxChiliPepper
xxx W. Fayette Street #3
Celina, OH 45822
RE: (419) 586-xxxx
Dear Mr. ChiliPepper
AT&T has identified a pattern of suspected fraudulent third party calls being billing to your telephone number, which
raises the suspicion that fraud may be occurring. Accordingly, in order to protect both you and AT&T from potential fraud,
AT&T (reserves the right to set restrictions as outlined in FCC Tariff No. 1 pg 43.1, section 2.9.4) has restricted the ability
to have AT&T third party calls billed to your number until this matter can be resolved.
If these calls are determined to be fraudulent, every effort will be made to attempt to identify the responsible parties.
Cases meeting the requirements of either State or Federal statutes may be referred to law enforcement officials.
If you wish to discuss this restriction, you may do so in writing to AT&T Corporate Security Control Center, P.O.Box
6735, Department 18, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807-9998 or call 1-800-922-0479.
(A REAL hand signature!)
Ellie Tunis
AT&T Security Associate
----------------
November 23, 1992
Dear Customer,
Our records as of November 22, 1992 indicate that you have made no payments on your Sprint long-distance account.
Your account has an outstanding balance of $1,195.41.
Unless we receive your full payment by December 8, 1992, we will disconnect your Sprint long-distance service. Do
not delay. Mail payment of $1,195.41 today in the envelope provided. Representatives are available at 1-800-877-4646 to
take your credit card payment or answer any questions.
Please disregard this notice if payment has been sent.
Sincerely,
Sprint Collection Department
[After adding this letter to my collection, I used the enclosed envelope to mail a letter to my friend in Chicago.]
The following letter was also included in PLA006. I received this letter after collecting several hundred dollars of
AT&T refunds in the mail.
Mr. RedBoxChiliPepper
P.O.Box 44xxxx
Indianapolis, IN 46244
10/01/93
Dear RedBoxChiliPepper:
Our records indicate a large number of coin refund requests. In light of this history, we cannot provide a refund until
AT&T investigates and verifies this claim. As part of this investigation, please provide us with the written detail of the call
and circumstances in which you lost your money. Please mail your explanation to:
Coin Refund Investigation Unit
P.O.Box 561615
Charlotte, NC 28256-1615
[I swear, those AT&T guys must just make up those huge department names as they go along because they have
nothing better to do. Coin Refund Investigation Unit? Sheesh.]
----------------
The was this guy who we ordered a calling card for and we were also receiving all of his phone bills and stuff. Here's a
letter we got for his one day.
RE: Calling Card Number: 504-xxx-xxxx-xxxx
Unusually high attempted usage has been detected on your BellSouth calling card. As a precautionary measure to
protect your account, BellSouth has taken steps to prevent further use of your card.
From a Southern Bell number our office can be reached by dialing our toll free 780-2792 number. If you are calling
from a South Central Bell number, we can be reached at the 557-6492 toll free number. You also may reach us by dialing 1800-831-4323 from any location.
Our office is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Account representative
----------------
This one isn't from the phone company, but from the collection agency that the phone company uses to collect unpaid
debts.
5/30/94
RedBoxChiliPepper
xxx W Fayette St. #3
Celina, Ohio 45822
Owed to: General Telephone Co.
Account#: 419586xxxx 90385135
Amount Due: $15,599.29
Dear RedBoxChiliPepper;
We have been advised by General Telephone Company that your account has not been paid. They have asked us to
contact you and urge you to meet your obligation. You past due account has been placed for collection and is immediately
due. Direct all questions, information and payments to this office. Prompt payment means good credit.
Sincerely,
Account Representative
This is an attempts to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Detach and Enclose with Payment
--------------------------------------RedBoxChiliPepper
Owed to: General Telephone Co.
xxx W Fayette St. #3
Account#: 419586xxxx 90385135
Celina, Ohio 45822
Amount Due: $15,599.29
[Yeah, right, like I have $15,000 here in my pocket to send away. The collection agency decided to call Zak
periodically because he was the person that I called "The Most!" but Zak just insulted the poor lady all the time.]
----------------
Dear Mr. ChiliPepper
1/2/95
After several corporate meetings we've determined that during the last five years we've lost an average of $400,000 a
year as a result of your calling card fraud, international refund checks, 900 abuse, theft of Alliance Teleconferencing
services, red boxing, physical damage to our public phones, manipulation of other people's phone service, etc, etc, etc.
In light of this history we've come to the decision to pay you just to leave us the hell alone. Please accept the enclosed
check for $350 and the enclosed calling card that has unlimited use on the condition that you stop all illigitimate activities
against us. You will recieve a check every month for this amount for as long as you can stop fucking with us.
Sincerely,
Robert Allen (You can call me Bob)
Chairman & CEO of AT&T
[Well, okay, that didn't happen but a guy can dream, can't he?]
----------------
RE: AT&T Calling Card Account: P0554592482532
Dear RedBoxChiliPepper
According to our records, payment for final charges on your former AT&T Calling Card account has not been
received. We are writing to remind you that payment of $217.78 is presently required to avoid further collection action.
Please mail your payment today to:
AT&T
P.O.Box 8209
Fox Valley, IL 60572
Be sure to include your AT&T account number on your check or money order to assure proper handling. If for any
reason you are unable to make this payment or if you need to discuss your account further, please call one of our
representatives at 1-800-634-8078.
If you have already mailed your payment, please disregard this notice.
Charles E. Moore
AT&T
If you have any interesting letters from phone company related sources, mail them to me and maybe they'll become a
part of this file.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #018
The Kevin Mitnick Saga Continues...
Written On February 1, 1995 - Last Revision on February 2, 1995
I kind of assumed that the Kevin Mitnick story was over back in 1990 after they published the book "Cyberpunk." It
seemed that he was reformed and his computer shenanagens were forever behind him but each day it seems like the
Mitnick saga gets better and better. So this is the Mitnick file. Everything I've ever owned on Mitnick is here so enjoy it.
I know there's a lot more Mitnick articles floating around. A LOT. I used to have all of them (more or less) but I seem
to have misplaced a few so until I get my ass over to the university to use their computers, the following is all you get. If
you have any to contribute, please do so.
The following memo is from Pacific Bell Security concerning Kevin Mitnck.
On May 14, 1987, Electronic Operations received a court order directing Pacific Bell to place traps on the telephone
numbers assigned to a company known as "Santa Cruz Operations." The court order was issued in order to identify the
telephone number being used by an individual who was illegally entering Santa Cruz Operations' computer and stealing
information.
On May 28, 1987, a telephone number was identified five separate times making illegal entry into Santa Cruz
Operations' computer. The originating telephone number was 805-495-6191, which is listed to Bonnie Vitello, 1378 E.
Hillcrest Drive, Apartment 404, Thousand Oaks, California.
On June 3, 1987, a search warrant was served at 1378 E. Hillcrest Drive, Apt. 404, Thousand Oaks, California. The
residents of the apartment, who were not at home, were identified as Bonnie Vitello, a programmer for General Telephone
and Kevin Mitnick, a known computer hacker. Found inside the apartment were three computers, numerous floppy disks
and a number of General Telephone computer manuals.
Kevin Mitnick was arrested several years ago for hacking Pacific Bell, UCLA and Huhes Aircraft company
compouters. Mitnick was a minor at the time of his arrest. Kevin Mitnick was recently arrested for compromising the data
base of Santa Cruz Operations.
The floppy disks that were seized pursuant to the search warrant revealed Mitnick's involvement in compromising
the Pacific Bell UNIX operation systems and other data bases. The disks documented the following:
o Mitnick's compromise of all southern California SCC/ESAC computers. On file were the names, log-ins, passwords,
and home telephone numbers for northern and southern ESAC employees.
o The dial-up numbers and circuit identification documents for SCC computers and data kits.
o The commands for testing and seizing trunk testing lines and channels.
o The commands and log-ins for COSMOS wire centers for northern and southern California.
o The commands for line monitoring and the seizure of dial tone.
o References to the impersonation of southern California security agents and ESAC employees to obtain information.
o The commands for placing terminating and originating traps.
o The addresses of Pacific Bell locations and the electronic door lock access codes for the following southern
California central offices ELSG12, LSAN06, LSAN12, LSAN15, LSAN56, AVLN11, HLWD01, HWTH01, IGWD01, LOMT11
and SNPD01.
o Inter-company electronic mail detailing new login/password proceedures and safeguards.
o The work sheet of an UNIX encryption reader hacker file. If successful, this program could break into any UNIX
system at will.
"Ex-Computer Whiz Kid Held on New Fraud Counts"
by Kim Murphy (Los Angeles Times) December 16, 1988
Kevin Mitnick was 17 when he first cracked Pacific Bell's computer system, secretly channeling his computer through
a pay phone to alter telephone bills, penetrate other computers and steal $200,000 worth of data from a San Francisco
corporation. A juvenile court judge at the time sentenced Mitnick to six months in a youth facility. [After his release,] his
probation officer found that her phone had been disconnected and the phone company had no record of it. A judge's credit
record at TRW Inc. was inexplicably altered. Police computer files on the case were accessed from outside... Mitnick fled to
Israel. Upon his return, there were new charges filed in Santa Cruz, accusing Mitnick of stealing software under
development by Microport Systems, and federal prosecutors have a judgement showing Mitnick was convicted on the
charge. There is, however, no record of the conviction in Santa Cruz's computer files.
On Thursday, Mitnick, now 25, was charged in two new criminal complaints accusing him of causing $4 million
damage to a DEC computer, stealing a highly secret computer security system and gaining access to unauthorized MCI
long-distance codes through university comoputers in Los Angeles, CA, and England.
A United States magistrate took the unusual step of ordering Mitnick held without bail, ruling that when armed with
a keyboard he posed a danger to the community. "This thing is so massive, we're just running around trying to figure out
what he did," said the prosecutor, an assistant United States attorney. "This person, we believe, is very, very dangerous,
and he needs to be detained and kept away from a computer."
Los Angeles Police Department and FBI investigators say they are only now beginning to put together a picture of
Mitnick and his alleged high-tech escapades. "He's several levels above what you would characterize as a computer
hacker," said detective James K. Black, head of the Los Angeles police dept's computer crime unit. "He started our with a
real driving curiousity for computers that went beyond personal compouters...He grew with the technology."
Mitnick is to be arraigned on two counts of computer fraud. The case is believed to be the first in the nation under a
federal law that makes it a crime to gain access to an interstate computer network for criminal purposes. Federal
prosecutors also obtained a court order restricting Mitnick's phone calls from jail, fearing he might gain access to a
computer over phone lines.
"Dark Side Hacker..." From The Los Angeles Times...
Dammit, what's the date on this article???
When computer hacker Kevin Mitnick arrived at a Calabases parking garage for a meeting with his friend Lenny
DiCicco four weeks ago, DiCicco reached up and casually scratched his head, a pre-arranged signal to federal agents hiding
nearby.
Quickly, with the sound of screeching tires and shouted commands, a half dozen men closed in and handcuffed
Mitnick. "Len, why did you do this to me?", Mitnick asked as he was being led away, DiCicco recalled later.
"Because you're a menace to society," DiCicco replied.
Law enforcement authorities couldn't agree more. Mitnick, 25, an overweight, bespectacled San Fernando Vally
computer junkie known as a "dark side" hacker for his willingness to use the computer as a weapon, has been accused of
causing $4 million in damage to computer giant Digital Equipment Corp in Massachusetts.
Described by one investigator as a sophisticated criminal whose computer was an "umbilical cord to his soul," he also
is charged by a federal grand jury with illegally copying Digital software valued at $1 million.
But those are just the latest in a decade-long series of accusations against Mitnick, whose high school computer
hobby turned into a lasting obsession.
He roved Los Angeles, allegedly using computers at schools and businesses to break into Defense Department
computer systems, sabotage business computers and electronically harass anyone-including a probation officer and FBI
agents who got in his way. He also learned how to disrupt telephone company operations and disconnected the phones of
Hollywood celebrities such as Kristy McNichol, authorities said.
So determined was Mitnick, according to friends, that when he suspected his home phone was being monitored, he
carried his hand-held keyboard to a pay phone in front of a 7-Eleven store, where he hooked it up and continued to break
into computers around the country.
"He's an electronic terrorist," said DiCicco. "He can ruin someone's life just using his fingers."
Over the last month, three federal court judges have refused at seperate hearings to set bail for Mitnick, contending
there would be no way to protect society from him if he were freed from his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in
Los Angeles, where he is awaiting a February 21 trial date.
Although there is a subculture of "whiz kids" around the country who break into computers for fun, and they
occasionally are caught by local authorities, they traditionally wind up with no more than a slap on the wrist or a short
term in jail or juvenile detention facilities, according to Jay Bloom Becker of the National Center for Computer Data, an
information firm in Los Angeles.
But Mitnick is being treated as anything but a prankster. Prosecutors say he is the first person to be charged under a
tough federal interstate computer crime law. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of three counts.
Mitnick's lack of conscience, authorities say, makes him even more dangerous than hackers such as Robert Morris Jr.
Mitnick's motive for a decade of hacking?
Not money, apparently. An unemployed computer programmer, he drove a used car and was living with his wife in
his mother's modest Panorama City apartment at the time of his arrest.
"He's gotten nothing out of it except jail," said DiCicco.
Mitnick's family and attorney however, accuse federal prosecutors of blowinng the case out of proportion, either out
of fear or misunderstanding of the technology. Mitnick's wife, Bonnie, a clerk who met her future husband when he sent a
message to her computer asking for a date, said prosecutors are portraying her husband as a technological magician who
"could turn dogs into chickens."
His mother, Shelly Jaffee, a Panorama City waitress, said her son never even owned a computer and is not smart
enough to pull off such sopisticated crimes.
She acknowledged that he once won a $300 prize at a fair for cracking a display computer's security code, but she
attributed that more to luck than anything else.
By all acounts, Mitnick was a bright but indistinguished boy in school, said Jaffee, who was divorced when Kevin was
3. "He was just a normal, typical kid. He was not a whiz kid," she said.
In fact, Mitnick disliked school, where he was unpopular, friends said. Aloof and a loner, his appearance didn't help.
He acquired the much-satirized look of the computer fanatic: shirt tail hanging out, horn-rimmed glasses and pens in his
breast pocket.
"There was always something slightly out of place," said one educator who knew Mitnick as a student in a computer
class.
His interest in computers blossomed at Monroe High School in Sepulveda, where he took a programming course
taught by John Christin 1979. But Mitnick was not interested in writing simple programs, he wanted to learn how to
manipulate the fundamental codes that made the computer work, Christ said.
Soon, he was using the classroom computers, furnished by Digital Equipment Corp., the world's largest maker of
networked computers with $11 billion in annual sales, to gain access to files in the Los Angeles Unified School District's
main computers in downtown Los Angeles, Christ said. The two systems were linked and Mitnick was able to discover
codes that, when typed into the classroom system, would allow entry into the main computers.
He didn't try to alter grades, but caused enough trouble that administrators asked Christ to watch him closely. When
Mitnick was caught breaking in again, Christ said, he showed no remorse.
"He has no conscience as far as I can tell," the instructor said.
DiCicco said Mitnick was already a schoolyard legend for misusing the computer terminal when they met. DiCicco,
who became a disciple, said watching Mitnick find ways into computer systems "was thrilling. I was learning a lot from
him."
He may not have been on the football team, but within the subculture of computer hackers, Mitnick was a colorful
figure, using the name "Condor," for a Robert Redford movie character who outwits the government. The final digits of
his unlisted home phone number were 007.
Mitnick had such a special feeling for the computer that when an investigator for the Los Angeles County district
attorney's office accused him of harming a computer he entered, he got tears in his eyes. "The computer to him was more
of an animate thing," said the investigator, Robert Ewen, "There was an umbilical cord from it to his soul. That's why
when he got behind a computer he became a giant."
Although some teen-agers consider hacking glamorous, it atually can be a grinding process. A hacker may spend
hours, even days, on a home terminal, connected by phone to another system the hacker wants to enter. The target system
is usually protected by security designed to keep out unauthorized intruders, so the hacker often has to deduce or discover
by tedious trial and error the secret passwords given to people authorized to use the system.
What made Mitnick "the best," said Steven Rhoades, a fellow hacker and friend, was his ability to talk people into
giving him privilleged information. He would call an official with a company he wanted to penetrate and say he was in the
maintenance department and needed a computer password. He was so convincing, they gave him the neccessary names
or numbers, Rhoades said.
Rhoades said he and Mitnick broke into a North American Air Defense Command computer in Colorado Springs, CO
in 1979. The 1983 movie "Wargames" is based upon a similar incident, in which a young hacker nearly starts World War
III when he sends a message to a defense computer that is mistaken for a Soviet missile attack.
But Rhoades said they did not interfere with any defense operations. "We just got in, looked around and got out," he
said.
At the time he was getting interested in computers, Mitnick also developed a fascination for the telephone system,
becoming what is known as a "phone phreak." In 1981, when he was just 17, Mitnick and three others were arrested for
stealing manuals while pretending to be on a guided tour of Pacific Bell's computer center in Los Angeles, which controlled
service and repair operations and other functions for Southern California's phone system.
He was prosecuted as a juvenile and placed on probation. He violated it a short time later, however, by using USC
computers. He was sent to a youth detention facility for six months, records show.
Pacific Bell officials refuse to talk about Mitnick. But he eventually learned so much that he could create phone
numbers, tap into telephone calls, and disconnect service without leaving a trace, according to DiCicco and Rhoades. He
did this, according to DiCicco, by impersonating phone company officials, or by playing certian tones over the phone to the
Pacific Bell computer, which then carried out pre-programmed orders.
Ewen said Mitnick "had the ability to do anything the telephone company could do. Our belief was, he could have
taken the system down."
One thing he did repeatedly, according to authorities, was disconnect phone service to entertainers he admired,
especially McNichol, then a star of the television show "Family."
Ridgeway said Mitnick once bragged to her that he had tampered with the credit records of FBI agents who
investigated him.
"He had a very vindictive streak," she said. "A whole bunch of people were harassed. They call me all the time."
Even friends were not safe. Rhoades said he once picked up his phone at home and heard a recorded message telling
him to "please deposit 25 cents." DiCicco said he once found that all his company's calls were being forwarded to his home
phone, a prank he was sure Mitnick was behind.
Mitnick met his wife two years ago in a class at Computer Learning Center in Los Angeles, where he was helping to
write a security program to protect the school's computer system against hackers. A message suddenly appeared on her
computer screen asking for a date. Auburn-haired and petite, she looked over at him, then typed, "Sure."
Chivalrous, he walked her to class and even carried her books.
Mitnick's attorney, Alan Rubin, said everything he can learn about his client shows him to be a decent, hard-working
man. "We have a picture of him that is so out of line with what the government is saying," he said, shaking his head.
In 1987, Mitnick broke into the systems of computer firms in Santa Cruz, authorities said. He was so confident, he
continued to enter The Santa Cruz Operation computers after officials there detected him and electronically sent him his
own password, "hacker," so they could keep close watch on what he was doing.
The company agreed not to sue him if he would tell them how he had broken through the security, and Computer
Services Manager Steph Marr said he flew down to Los Angeles to meet Mitnick. Marr said he complimented Mitnick's
abilities with a respectful greeting.
"Well met, well played," Marr said. But Mitnick shrugged off the praise, the executive said.
"He sort of came across as I was not fully qualified to ask him these things."
Associates said Mitnick believed he was too clever to be caught. He had penetrated the DEC network in
Massachusetts so effectively, DiCicco said, that he could read the personal electronic mail of security people working on
the case of the mysterious hacker and discover just how close they were getting to him.
But caught he was, again and again, often by authorities tracing the long distance calls needed for an outsider to tie in
to acomputer. After each brush with authorities, however, the lure to return to hacking was too great to resist, according
to his friends. His mastery of the computer, after all, was his "source of self esteem," said Rhoades.
Friends say Mitnick thought of using his unusual abilities to make a living. He and DiCicco were planning to start a
business that would advise companies how to keep out hackers.
But strains developed in their relationship, according to DiCicco, when he tired of the "dark side" hacking. He said he
tried to get away from Mitnick, but his friend would search him out.
Mitnick began visiting DiCicco at night at Voluntary Plan Administrators (VPA), a Calabasas firm where DiCicco
worked, to use the company's computers. DiCicco said that when he grew sick of Mitnick's demands and finally turned
him down, Mitnick called his boss, impersonated an IRS agent and said DiCicco was be investigated.
It was one malicious prank too many. Confronted by his boss, DiCicco "spilled the beans," he said.
The FBI was called in and watched Mitnick's every move the day before his arrest, once recording him after he signed
on the computer system at VPA. Mitnick dialed into Digital and into a computer system in Leeds, England, according to
DiCicco and law enforcement officials. DiCicco said Mitnick talked British professors into giving him passwords and was
already halfway into the system when he quit after six hours of hacking.
He had no second thoughts about turning in his former mentor. "He always thought he had his thumb on me,"
DiCicco said.
Friends said Mitnick did it all simply for the challenge, what one computer expert called finding "a worthy opponent."
The lack of a profit motive in Mitnick's hacking makes the move to hold him without bail repugnant to some defense
attorneys. "It's crazy," said Leslie Abramson, president of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice in Los Angeles.
"It speaks of the vast power of prosecutors."
But prosecutors say Mitnick is a new kind of criminal, one who can do as much harm with a computer terminal as a
bank robber with a gun. They say there is evidence he broke into the super-secret National Security Agency computers
and that other federal charges could be filed soon.
In addition, county authorities are reviewing evidence against both Mitnick and DiCicco of a possible theft of
computer software at Pierce College.
"There is a tendency to look on these things as pranks," said Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen Plafker.
"Mitnick has got enough of a history now that we can look on him as being really dangerous."
Feds pull plug on most wanted computer hacker - February 17, 1995
Electronic Hunt nets Mitnick, 31 - From Corpus Cristi Caller Times
RALEIGH, N.C. - Federal authorities see him as the world's most wanted computer hacker. But to his former
therapist, Kevin Mitnick is just "a sad, lonely, angry, isolated boy" who spent more time with computers that people.
Culminating a search that began in November 1992, federal agents arrested Mitnick early Wednesday at his Raleigh
apartment. Mitnick, who once broke into a top secret military defense system as a teen-age prank, allegedly pilfered
thousands of data files and at least 20,000 credit card number, worming his way into ever the most sophisticated systems.
A detention hearing was scheduled for this morning before a federal magistrate. Mitnick, 31, was charged with
computer fraud, punishable by 20 years in prison, and illegal use of a telephone access device, which carries a maximum
15-year sentence. Both crimes also are punishable by $250,000 fines. In addition, he was wanted in California for
allegedly violating probation on a previous hacing conviction.
"It was an intensive, two-week-long electronic manhunt that involved several dozen law enforcement agents around
the country," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kent Walker in San Fransisco said Thursday.
But others pooh-poohed the depiction of Mitnick as the cyberthief to beat all cyberthieves. "That's what I see, a sad,
lonely, angry, isolated boy," Harriet Rosetto, Mitnick's former therapist, told the Daily News of Los Angeles after learning
of his arrest. "I don't think he's that important a person. I think he's become mythical," said said. "That he's become public
enemy No. 1 is kind of laughable.
"I think that had he found a way to be accepted in the mainstream, he would have joined the mainstream," Rosetto
said. "He already had this reputation as this Svengali character. Nobody wanted to go near him."
One of the first indicted under the Computer Security Act of 1987, Mitnick was convicted of getting into MCI
telephone computers and accessing long-distance codes, and of causing $4 million damage to Digital Equipment Corp.
The $4 million actually represented computer down-time, not damage, said attorney Alan Rubin who defended
Mitnick. But it was Mitnick's third conviction and he served one year in prison. At the 1989 sentencing, U.S. District Judge
Mariana Pfaelzer ruled that Mitnick's hacing was an addiction, like drugs, alcohol or the junk food he lived on. She agreed
that he was dangerous when armed with a computer and phone line, and ordered him to get therapy and go to prison.
In therapy, Mitnick lost 100 of his nearly 300 pounds and worked on his self-esteem, Rosetto said. Tom Perrine, who
used to develop software to protect classified information for the federal government, said authorities are behind when it
comes to computer hacking investigations.
And in the end, it took someone with the skills of Tsutomu Shimomura, a 30 year old computer security soecialist at
the San Diego Supercomputer Center, to help the federal agents track Mitnick. Shimomura's own computer at his
California beach house, which was linked to the system at the center, was hit by the hacker on Christmas Day, said center
spokeswoman Stephanie Sides.
Incensed, Shimomura canceled a ski vacation and assembled a team of computer experts to hunt down the intruder.
They traced Mitnick to Netcom, a nationwide Internet access provider, and with the help of federally subpoenated phone
records determined that he was placing calls from a cellular phone near Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Early Monday morning, Shimomura drove around Raleigh with a telephone company technician. They used a cellular
frequency direction-finding antenna hooked to a laptop to narrow the search to an apartment complex. The FBI arrested
Mitnick after a 24-hour stakeout.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #019
Call Forwarding Fun
Written On January 15, 1995 - Last Revision on February 2, 1995
Ever think of the extreme fun you can have by being able to answer your next door neighbor's phone just as if it were
your own? Well, now not only can you answer the next door neighbor's phone, you can answer anyone's phone in the
entire United States. Any person, any business. You'll be using the phone company's call forwarding service.
Not only can you use call forwarding just to answer their phone and mess with people's minds, you can also:
o Forward their calls to an AT&T Alliance Teleconferencing number so you and your friends can enjoy hours of free
conferencing at their expense.
o Forward all their calls to a number in Australia to run up their phone bill really high.
o Forward their calls to you to beat the Western Union security and wire yourself $2000
Ordering Call Forwarding:
It's easy to do, you simply call up the local phone company billing office and tell them you want call forwarding on
your (your victim's) line. They'll set it up for you and sometimes charge $15.oo or so to hook it up but that's not your
problem.
They'll tell you what day it'll go into effect and explain to you how to use it and everything. The code used for
forwarding will either be 72# or *72. At least that's how it's always been for me.
Using Call Forwarding Legally:
Let's say that we were going to use call forwarding legitimately. You call the phone company billing office and ask
them for call forwarding. After it goes into effect, you decide that you want to forward all your calls to your friend a few
blocks away because you're going over there to get drunk. You pick up your phone and dial "72#" which gives you a second
dial tone. Then you dial your friend's house "428-9204" and he answers the phone. You say, "Yo, Adrian, I'm commin'
over with the Busch and I forwarded my calls to your house." and he says, "Dude. Cool. Okay." and you both hang up. Now
everyone that calls your house is going to get his house instead.
What if his line is busy or there's no answer because Adrian's out in the back yard setting things on fire? Hang up the
phone and pick it up again. Dial "72#" and "428-9204" again. You'll get a dial tone and you hang up. Your calls are now all
forwarded to his house.
Getting The Number Forwarded:
The thing about forwarding other people's calls is that you can't be in their house to do all this unless you're a
breaking and entering type of person which I try not to be. My solution to that is to call them up and bullshit them a little
bit and talk them into dialing the numbers for me. It's pretty easy. Most people aren't familiar with call forwarding and
even those that are fall for it.
HIM: Hello?
YOU: Hi, is this Rob Berry?
HIM: Yes?
YOU: Hi, this is Larry with Southwestern Bell repair. Have you been having some problems with your phone line
lately? You know, dialing out, receiving strange phone calls, the phone getting up and dancing around on the desk, that
kind of thing?
HIM: Uh, no, uh...well, not that I'm aware of.
YOU: Well, we've been checking on your lines because our computers show that you've been having problems dialing
out from your house.
At this point you just keep bullshitting him for a few seconds but don't draw it out too long. (The longer you talk, the
better chance you have at making a mistake and making him skeptical of you.) End your conversation like this.
YOU: Sir, would you mind calling up our residential office here in St. Louis so the repair center can run a test for you
on your line and tell you if there's still a problem? This will save you the cost of having to have a truck sent out to your
house.
HIM: Sure, I can do that. (Anything to save a buck...Cheapskate.)
YOU: I'm going to give you the number here for the office in Wood River...Have you got a pen? ...Okay, dial 72 Pound
sign...254-9723. Got that?
HIM: 72#-254-9723?
YOU: Yeah, be sure to dial the 72# first so we'll be able to run the test on your line. That way, they'll be able to tell you
at the office if your line's doing okay.
HIM: Alright, well, I'll give them a call.
YOU: Okay, you'll probably want to call right away because the office will be closing any time now.
You now exchange hearty farewells with this good man and hang up, eagerly awaiting his phone call back to you. Note
that 254-9723 is the pay phone at the donut shop where you're standing. As soon as he calls you, all his calls will
automatically be forwarded to this pay phone. If someone wants to use the phone while you're waiting for him to call, tell
them to fuck off and that there's a phone over at Wal-Greens they can use. Watch their stunned face. (Either that or they'll
beat the shit outof you!)
Your eyes light up as your pay phone rings. You answer in a totally different voice. (Or you have your friend answer if
you have any friends.)
YOU: Residential repair, Wood River. May I help you?
HIM: (Explains this situation to you about this myterious problem on his line that he knows nothing about.)
YOU: Okay, could I have your area code and phone number, please?
HIM: 618-692-9717
YOU: Okay, um....alright did you dial the code 72# before you called me.
HIM: Yes, I did. I'm very gullible.
YOU: Okay, let me check this out......(Mutter to yourself, pretend to type, pretend that you're wearing an expensive
suit) Okay, I'm showing that we had some problems on your line but they all seem to have been taken care of yesterday
morning. You shouldn't have anymore trouble there.
Like I said, you don't have to be at the pay phone. But remember, if nobody answers the pay phone that he's trying to
call, it won't work unless he hangs up and tries again so if you're not there, say something to him like, "If there's no answer
on the first try, just hang up and try again." Here's the plot I usually use to trick 7-Elevens and similar stores.
YOU: "Hi, this is Bob from the Visa Credit Card Company. We didn't get your batch reports from the computer
tonight, is there some kind of problem there?"
HIM: "Uhhhhhhhhhh........what?
YOU: (Try to speak on a third-grade level and make him understand.) "Your computer was supposed to call us and
send us your daily reports for your credit card machine there. We haven't got the reports today."
HIM: "Oh.........So what do you want?"
YOU: "Has your manager showed you how to send them in manually?"
HIM: "No."
YOU: "Okay, can you get a piece of paper and a pen so I can give you a number to write down?"
HIM: "Alright, hold on..." (Meanwhile, he's looking for a pen and lighting another Marlboro cigarette.) "...Okay,
here's one."
YOU: "Okay, write down this number...72#-254©9723" (Be sure to speak slowly so he'll understand.)
HIM: "So I just dial this number?"
YOU: "Yeah, just dial that number and we'll get our reports. Be sure to do it right away so I can get done here and go
home. And if it's busy, try it again and it should go through."
HIM: "Uhhhhhhhh....okay."
Hang up with him and wait for his call at the pay phone you're standing at. When it rings, answer, "Visa Batch Report
Dudes. Is this Mr. Gullible Night Man?" or some other real-sounding greeting. Be sensitive to the night man's feelings and
get rid of him as quickly as possible. After you hang up, all 7-Eleven's calls are forwarded to your pay phone and will be
until the manager of the store finally figures out what is going on. (In other words, next year.)
Beige Boxing:
If your victim is just too damn smart and won't fall for your phone company schemes, your only choice is to do it
yourself by plugging in your own telephone into the box on the outside of his house.
It's best to wait until really late at night when your victim is asleep. Visit his house first in the day time to case the
joint, looking for the best places to hide, escape routes, etc, just in case somebody sees you and you have to haul ass. Also
find out where his little phone box is on his house.
Bring your own telephone, a flathead screwdriver and a flashlight. Most houses have the new boxes where you simply
open the box with the flathead screwdriver and plug your modular phone right it. If it's an older box you're going to have
to chop the modular plug off your phone and replace it with some roach clips that you can clip into his line.
When you get into his line, try dialing an ANI number first to make sure that it's really his number. After you're sure,
dial 72# and the number you want to forward his calls to. Close the box and go home!
Remote Call Forwarding:
I experimented with this feature in Indiana and it came in really handy. It works the exact same way except you don't
have to forward the calls from their house, instead you can do it from any phone in the world. When you order Remote
Call Forwarding from the billing office, the operator will give you the Remote Access Number and a personal pin number
which you use to change the forwarding number.
For some reason, the phone companies don't think that it's a bad idea to just hand out pin numbers over the phone.
So you call the Remote Access Number and it guides you through the system and asks you where you'd like your calls
forwarded to. You're allowed to enter any area code and number. This means that you can't forward their calls to an
Alliance number, 900 number or anything overseas.
So you're limited a little bit here, but it's still nicer to have and you can turn it off when they get home so they won't
notice anything funny until the end of the month when they get their phone bill. (Unless you've forwarded their bill
somewhere else.)
So call the billing office and ask them if they offer the remote call forwarding service. Another service to look for is
Call Forwarding Busy. This service forwards your calls only when your line is busy.
Miscellaenous Notes:
When you forward someone's number and somebody calls that number, the person will hear a quick half-ring on
their phone and then the call will be forwarded to wherever. This is to let them know that their calls are forwarded but
usually only drives the owner of the phone crazy because they think someone is just calling them and hanging up.
To put their calls back to normal, you'd have to dial 73# (or *73) from their house or on the Remote Access Number.
You can't call them and bullshit them into doing it because when you call them, you'll be reaching wherever you forwarded
their calls.
People who find all their calls forwarded and somebody fucking with the people that call them usually don't seem to
be too terribly happy when they get the phone bill. I can't figure out why.
Alliance Teleconferencing:
You can also use the forwarding trick and forward all of someone's phone calls to an AT&T Alliance number. These
numbers offer teleconferencing for up to fifteen of your friends and the person who's phone you've forwarded get's stuck
with the bill. Keep in mind, though, that when the person get's their phone bill, every number you dialed in Alliance is
going to show up on the bill.
I have a very small list of Alliance numbers here. They all basically do the same thing and I've heard that different
locations have different options and features, but you use them all pretty much the same way.
0-700-456-1000 Finds an open service to use.
0-700-456-1001 Reno, NY
0-700-456-1002 Chicago, IL
0-700-456-1003 White Plains, NY
0-700-456-1004 Dallas, TX
It doesn't really matter which one you want to use. I've always stuck with the Chicago number because it's the closest
to me and it never seems to be busy. When you call to get your victim to forward his calls, you have to make sure he goes
through the AT&T carrier so if he's not an AT&T subscriber, the number you would have him dial would be: 72#-10288-0700-456-1002. To use the service after that, just call up your victim's house. You'll be connected to Alliance and he'll get
the bill for it next month.
Once you've connected to the number, you'll hear a mind-piercing beep noise. An automated voice will ask you how
many people you wish to have on the conference. On Chicago, 15 people is the max. If you ask for more than 15 people, the
automated voice refers you to a different number.
The automated voice will tell you to dial your first number. Dial it in the fashion "1-xxx-xxx-xxxx" and you'll hear it
ringing. After they answer, tell them what's going on and press the "#" key to add them to the conference.
That person will now be on a silent line since he's the first person you called. If you need to talk to him press "#" to go
into the conference. To get back to the menu, press "#" again.
To add more people just repeat the same process over and over. After they answer the phone, press "#" to send them
into the conference. When you want to stop adding people and join the conference yourself, press "#". To add more
people, press "#" again. If the number you dial is busy, a wrong number, no answer or they don't want to talk on the
conference, press "*" to disconnect them.
Fun Things To Do In Alliance:
If the phone you're calling from has 3-way calling on it, you can do the forwarding trick twice, call up two seperate
Alliance numbers and you'll be able to have 30 people on at once instead of just 15. Believe me, though, 15 people is
enough.
Call up Domino's Pizza or Pizza Hut. Have everyone join in and try to order a pizza all at once. Have everyone argue
about the toppings, size and where it's to be sent to. The pizza man usually get flustered and just hangs up but it's good for
a few laughs.
Call The White House and mess with them for awhile. Remember, if they trace the call, they'll only trace it to 7-Eleven
or wherever you forwarded the calls from. You'll probably read in the paper the next morning about a clerk being arrested
for espionage.
Dial numbers out of the phone book at random and just fuck with people. Harrassing phone calls can be so much
more fun when there's 15 people on the line. Remember, though, after you've added someone to the conference, there is no
way you can get rid of them unless they hang up their phone. So if you make a prank phone call to someone, remember,
they can stay on and listen in as long as they want.
The only way to throw them off is to hang up your phone and start all over or you can hit "#" and "0" to get an
operator to kick them off. A way to avoid this, though, is have someone on the conference dial the victim's phone number
on their 3-way calling rather than going through Alliance or use your own 3-way calling. Then you can hang up whenever
you want to.
Dial a lot of overseas numbers and see who you can reach. You'll wake up a lot of people who are always startled to
hear 15 people on their phone at once.
Add someone to the conference and ignore them. Make them think that none of you can hear them saying, "Hello?
Helloooo? Who is this? Hello?"
Dial a number at random and when they answer, have everyone join in a chorus of "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne or
any popular song and see if the person you called will join in with you. For best results try the theme song to "The
Flintstones" or "The Brady Bunch".
Call about apartments for rent and tell them that all 15 of you are moving in.
Pretend to be trapped in a phone booth with all these people.
Miscellenous Fun Calls:
Here's a few ideas for you when you forward someone's number. These ideas are both from experience and just things
I've been wanting to do for a long time. You know that annoying recording you get when you call a movie theater? On a
Friday or Saturday evening, forward all the calls going to that recording line to your pay phone so when people call the
recording to find out what's showing, they get you instead. This is probably the funnest thing to do with call forwarding.
On weekend nights, the recording line is ringing off the hook. After you've forwarded the Quad Cinema's line, pick one of
these greetings when you answer the phone...
1 "Quad Cinema, what the FUCK DO YOU WANT CALLING HERE!?"
2 "Quad Cinema, this had better be good. I'm busy."
3 "Quad Cinema, whadaya need?
4 "I suppose you're wanting to know what movies are playin'?"
5 "Thank you so much for calling the Quad Cinema on this beautiful, extraordinary Tuesday evening, this is Bob
speaking how may I be of assisstance, oh mighty, faithful, godlike potential patron of my establishment."
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions...
T:"Are you open tonight?"
U:"Are we open tonight? That's probably the stupidest question I've ever heard. It's Friday night of COURSE we're
open. You think I just sit here all night answering the phone for dumbfucks like you while we're closed?"
T:"What movies are playing there?"
U:"What, you don't own a paper? Can't you go out and BUY a newspaper to find out what's playing? Why don't you go
next door and borrow your neighbor's paper? Maybe you could have called the recording line instead of calling me?"
T:"Do you have senior citizens discounts?"
U:"How old are you?...68?...Geez, lady, you're OLD. You have one foot in the grave, don't ya? Actually, you sound
older than 68. I'd guess 93 by the sound of your voice. Why do you want a senior discount? Are you on welfare and can't
afford the extra two bucks admission or what? Or maybe you're savin' up for plastic surgery to get rid of those disgusting
wrinkles all over your body."
T:"What rating is that movie?"
U:"It's rated NC-8. You have to be at least eight years old to see it because it has lots of nudity and violence in it."
Tired of being a rude person? Try being a stupid person instead. This pisses people off even more than when you're
rude.
T:"Yeah, what's playing there tonight?"
U:"I dunno."
T:"Isn't this the movie theater?"
U:"Yeah."
T:"So what movies do you have."
U:"Oh, you know...that one cop movie with the guy in it and that girl..."
T:"What are the prices of your tickets?"
U:"Beats me, you're askin' the wrong person."
T:"Is there someone there who can tell me?"
U:"Naw, I'm the only one here right now, they're all busy. I just come here on Friday and Saturday nights to answer
the phone so the ticket lady doesn't have to."
T:"Don't you have a list or something there of what's playing?"
U:"Yeah, I got one at home but I forgot bring it with me tonight. You can call tomorrow and I'll probably have it. You
can't expect me to memorize all that stuff."
T:"Could I speak to your manager?"
U:"He's workin' concession right now. If you wanna hold for about 20 minutes I can go fetch him."
Okay, now try being polite and giving off the wall, incorrect information. What really throws people off is when you
tell them you're showing a sneak preview of a movie that doesn't exist that they'll really want to see like, "Home Alone 5"
or"Silence Of The Lambs 2" or "Terminator 3." I can just picture the little girl's disappointment when she arrives at the
theater all happy and then finds out that there really isn't a "Home Alone 3." Poor kid.
And then there's movies that have strange names that don't exist like, "Home Alone 3: Lost in Wazoo Coounty,
Alabama" or "Bill & Ted's Homosexual Adventure (ratedXXX)" or perhaps "Snail." You know, that new documentary
movie on the mating habits of Snails. A great movie for children to see.
T:"What's playing tonight?"
U:"Oh, I'm sorry, we had to close the theater down."
T:"Close it down?"
U:"Yeah, it was demolished by mistake. They were supposed to knock down the building next door but they
accidentally got the adresses mixed up and tore down the theater instead. We were all devistated."
T:"What's showing tonight?"
U:"We have Debbie Does Des Moines and Backdoor Bonanza part III."
T:"Aren't those pornos?"
U:"Well, yeah, of course. Didn't you hear about the hostile takeover? We're strictly a porno theater now but we WILL
let your children in as long as you accompany them in inside. You know, we still want to promote that family image."
Lemme tell ya, the customers' reactions are hilarious when you treat them this way. You might want to lug a video
camera to the theater's lobby and tape all the angry people who drive there to yell at the manager. Here's a few ideas for
forwarding a pizza place.
1 "Domino's Pizza, would you like to try our special tonight, Froot Loop Pizza? If you order two of them you get a free
2 liter of milk!"
2 "(Sing the lastest pizza jingle.)"
3 "Hello?....Huh?....Who is this, I was sleeping. It's almost 8:30, you know! Listen here, punk. I HAVE fucking
CALLER I.D. and I'll KILL you if you call me again!!!"
U:"Domino's, may I help you?"
T:"Yeah, I'd like a large mushroom pizza."
U:"Oh, we're out of pizzas tonight, sir."
T:"Out of pizzas?"
U:"Yes, sir. We can still deliver you a Pepsi, though. Would you like a Pepsi tonight? We're having a special."
U:"UPS, may I help you?"
T:"I thought this was Pizza Hut."
U:"Oh, it is, but we had a hostile takeover last week by the United Parcel Service so I have to answer the phone, 'UPS'
now."
T:"You were bought out by UPS?"
U:"Yes, but we still offer the same quality service as ever and we deliver our pizzas in big, brown UPS trucks for fast,
dependable service you can count on."
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #020
Information Gathering On Anyone
Written On March 20, 1993 - Last Revision on February 12, 1995
This file will contain just about every way there is that I know of and have used to gather information on an
individual. Also included throughout the file are samples of conversations you would use to get what you want. Most
methods I've outlined here are completely annonymous and over the phone.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Residential Billing Office
2. Finding Out Info With Address (Library Methods)
3. Using Radio Shack as a CNA
4. Pretend To Be An Ameritech Recording
5. Pretend To Be A Manager
6. Become An Activist
7. Answering Machine Hacking
8. Impersonating The IRS
9. Getting Copies Of Their Phone Bill
10. Finding Out What Their Number Is After They Changed It
11. Getting His New Number From ANI
Residential Billing Office:
Method one is called the phone company's Residential Billing Office which is the place you call up when you want to
make changes in your phone service or to have a new phone service installed. When you get a phone service installed, you
give them all kinds of useful information like your full name, address, where you work, your birthdate, social security
number, etc.
You also give them the name of a friend or relative who they can contact in case they need to get in touch with you
and so the long distance companies can call them everyday and beg them to sign up for their service. Is what I do to get all
of this info on anyone I want is call up the residential office and pose as the owner of the phone wanting to make a change
in my service. Of course, I cancel the change a few hours later so no one will ever know I was there. And it rarely fails to
work for me. You can even get someone's private second number using this method.
When you call the office and say you want to make a change in your service, they immediately ask you for your phone
number. When they type in your number they see on their computer screens a whole page of information on you. Hell, I
wouldn't be surprised if they knew my dog's name. They'll usually say something like, "Okay, and you are Rich?" Presto!
You now have their first name.
If they don't give you the name right away, ask for it. Say you're not sure who's on the bill now because you have so
many roommates that live with you. They never fail to tell you.
Problems With This Method:
I've only found two problems with this method. One would be a paranoid gimp such as Darin McCall. If a person
suspects someone is fooling around with his phone line and trying to make changes he can call up the residential office
and ask them to password protect his line. This means that anyone who wants to do anything with his line including
finding out any kind of information would have to tell the residential operator this password.
One way to get around this is to call your victim and pretend to be with the phone company, saying there's been some
unusual activity on their account, etc, etc, and ask them what their password is. Another way I've gotten away with is to
call the billing office and say I'd like to change my password. They ask for my number and then ask what I'd like my new
password to be, forgetting to ask me what my current is. This has worked twice for me.
The second problem is people like me who give false information when they hook up their phone. When I got my
phone service, I gave them a fake last name, a fake social security number, a billing address at a post office box and tell
them I work for a bank or something like that. (That'll be the day.) Most people don't give the phone company false
information because they really have no reason to. So don't rely on the information you gather 100%. There's a small
chance that it could be bogus. (Very small!)
Sample Conversations:
Now I'll type out some sample conversations that I've had with the billing operators to show you how it's done, some
problems you run in to and how to cover them up.
Dialing 800-244-4444...ring...ring...ring...
After selecting the correct information on their automated introduction, I'm connected with a live operator who has a
terrible hangover from a bell party she went to last night...
HER: Residential Billing, this is Sheila. May I help you?
YOU: Naw, I was just calling for my health. I need to make a change in my service. I want call forwarding.
HER: Okay, could I have your complete phone number?
YOU: Sure, it's 618-797-2339. Do you want me to spell it? (Note, I'm exaggerating the sarcasm just a tad bit.)
HER: Okay...(type type type!)...Alright and who am I speaking to?
YOU: Uhhh, this is Scott.
HER: That's funny, I have a Robert as the billing name.
YOU: Oh, him. That's my roommate. Robert Dawson, right?
HER: No, Robert Coyner.
YOU: Oh, yeah, him. We have two Roberts living here.
HER: Okay, I see. (gives me a fake bell-type laugh.)
See how easy that is? Now the conversation would go on with her trying to sell you the special rate you get when you
order three services or more. NEVER hang up as soon as you get the information. Always finish out the conversation and
then call back later that day and cencel the service you ordered. Or you could do something like this...
HER: Okay, we'll have call forwarding hooked up for you this Tuesday morning and the hook up fee will be a onetime charge of $15.65. Would you like that billed to you all at once or in payments?
YOU: Oh, goodness gracious heavens to betsy! (Sounding shocked) That's a lot of money. I had no idea it would cost
me that much. Maybe I should wait until Robert gets home and ask him if it's okay to pay that much since he is the one
who pays the bill. He's my sugar daddy, you see. Could you take my order off and I'll have him call back this evening?
HER: Sure, Scott, no problem. (I hear her scratching her underarm in the background.) Will there be anything else
for you then?
YOU: No, I think you've done just about enough for me today. (smirking)
HER: Alright, well you have a really nice day.
YOU: And you have a cheesy evening. Happy Haunaka.
So now you've got the name. It's Robert Coyner. So you call up the billing office again and of course you get a totally
different operator. I have called them many times and never get the same operator more than once. Kind of like lightning
never striking twice in the same place.
YOU: Hi, this is Robert and I want to make some changes in my service.
HER: Okay, could I have your billing number?
YOU: No...Just kidding! It's 618-797-2339.
I won't go into detail on this. Just order call forwarding again and near the end of the conversation say...
YOU: Oh, by the way I'm employed by a different company now. Do you want to put the new one in there?
HER: (Surprised because no one ever asks this.) Oh, sure! Where do you work now?
YOU: (Proudly) I'm a garbage man for the city of Roxana. (Wiping a tear from my eye.) Is my old job at 7-Eleven still
listed in there?
HER: No, we still have you listed as the assistant manager of K-Mart.
YOU: Yeah, that's where I worked at before I went for my career as a stock boy at the supermarket.
Presto, you now know where they worked when they installed their phone service. Of course, they could have changed
jobs by now but at least you have something. You want the social security number? Well, on a totally different call you do
basically the same thing.
YOU: Oh, by the way, I finally found my social security number. Do you want me to give that to you?
HER: (Confused) What are you talking about? We have your social security number right here in the computer.
YOU: Well, that's strange. When I applied for my service, I couldn't find my social security card and never gave it to
them. Maybe my wife called and gave it to you. What number do you have there?
HER: 341-69-3926
YOU: Hmmm, well that's my number. My wife must have called already. That bitch, I'm going to have to beat her
when she gets home.
Just don't forget to call back and cancel the services you've ordered after a few hours. (Or right away, it doesn't
matter.) A word to the wise, if you're planning to make some harrassing changes in their service, don't do it from your
home phone. This IS an 800 number and they can find out where the call is comming from if they need to. This happened
to me when I canceled a former boss's phone service. My district manager confronted me saying that the call had come
from my work phone. (Where I had made the call from.)
The Public Library:
Every library has what is called a criss-cross directory, usually published by Haines or Cole's. This book will list every
listed phone number in order. You simply find the phone number you're looking for and if it's listed, the name and address
will be next to it.
Another method of searching is by address. All the addresses in the city are also listed in order so you can look
someone up by their address. To get the information you need, call the library and just tell them what you need and they're
usually happy to give it to you. Just remember, when you make Conan the Librarian jokes, the lady gets pissed off.
Also, you can go into the library and ask to look at the directory. When she gives it to you, sneak off to a secluded isle
and shove the book in your jacket and haul ass. This is a handy book to own.
Using Radio Shack As A CNA:
This may sound crazy, but I swear it has worked for me. Again, you have somebody's phone number but you don't
have their address or their name. If it's late in the day and the phone company's billing office has already closed down for
the day, Radio Shack is always open until 9:00!
A few years ago, Radio Shack got was using those old fashioned digital cash registers to ring up sales and using their
TRS-80 color computer to send in the nightly reports to Fort Worth, TX. Finally, they decide to go high tech like all the
other low income electronic stores and do everything on a computer. And everyone who shops there are probably familiar
with the salesman asking you, "Could I have the last four digits of your phone number?"
When you give them these four numbers, they get a small list of maybe two or three names who have those four digits
for their phone number. This is where we come in with a phone call to their store...
BOB: Thank you for calling Radio Shack, Amierica's Technology store. You've got questions? We've got answers! This
is Bob, how may I help you this evening. (I wonder if they could make that introduction any longer?)
YOU: Hi, Bob. This is Frank from Radio Shack #1365 here at St. Louis Center. I just had a kid come in here and get a
refund for something he bought yesterday and after he left I took the thing apart and the whole inside is missing from it.
BOB: (In astonishment) You're kidding...
YOU: Nope, all I got here is the casing to a $250 police scanner. Now he gave me his real phone number and he lives
there in your area and I need you to type the digits 3902 and see what you come up with there.
BOB: (Typing)...I have three listings here.
YOU: Okay, could you read off all three names? I'm going to find out which one of them is him and call up the police.
It's that easy. If the person you're looking for has shopped at that Radio Shack store in the last year, you've probably
got his name and address now. If that store didn't work, try another one. And another, and another, and another until you
find one that he's shopped at. Everyone shops at Radio Shack SOMEtime. Remember, the name you have could be
someone else that lives with him, but at least you've got a start.
Pretend To Be The Ameritech Recording:
This one works especially well with elderly people. You call up the number you have and pretend to be the Phone
Directory's automated system. Here's what you say after they answer:
(In a clear and distinguished voice) Hello! This is the Illinois Bell Ameritech automated address and phone number
system. To ensure that your information appears correctly in the 1995 edition of the phone book, please state your Name,
Address, City and phone number after the tone. If you wish to remain unlisted this year, please say so after stating your
information. Thank you for choosing Illinois Bell... (beep!)
A non-touch tone beep can be generated by pressing the 1 and 2 buttons on your phone at the exact same time unless
you have a generic telephone. Most people will state their information but there are those who are skeptical and will just
hang up. If you want, be persistant and keep calling them.
After they give you their information, you can mess with their minds if you want to by saying things like, "Thank you!
Now please state your Visa card number...okay, now state your bra size...What color is your phone...What color is your
toilet...Please state your lover's name..."
Pretend To Be A Manager:
If you know of a place where your victim has worked or is working you can call up their employer and squeeze a little
information out of him. The conversation would go something like this:
(In this example you're calling McDonald's)
MCDS: (Cheery girl) McDonald's, may I help you?
YOU: Yeah, put your boss on the phone, you little tramp!
MCDS: (Still cheery) Thank you, please hold on...
YOU: (Waits for her to go fetch the manager from flipping burgers.)
MCDS: Hi, this is Manager Jerry speaking. (Who's he trying to impress??)
YOU: Hi, Jerry, this is Walter from Blockbuster Video rentals in Belleville. I'm doing a reference check on a John
Light you had working there. I need to know the dates of his hire and termination and I need to know whether he was fired
or if he quit.
MCDS: Okay, hold on just one second...(He digs through that highly sophisticated filing system that only a
McDonald's manager could devise. He finds John's files mixed in with a box of hairnets.)
MCDS: Here it is. I have John hired on July of 1992 and he quit on August of 1992. (How long do you expect someone
to last at a place like that?)
YOU: And he quit? He wasn't fired?
MCDS: No, he quit. But he was a dandy little worker, he was.
YOU: Okay, that's all I really needed to know. Oh, by the way, would you happen to have his phone number there on
his application? It looks like he forgot to write his down here.
MCDS: Uh, sure. It's 254-4016.
YOU: Boy, are you dumb. I'm just some kid trying to get this guy's phone number. Have a nice future at McDonald's,
you twit. (Hangs up.)
So maybe I didn't say that last part, but I have tried this twice now, once at Long John Silver's and at McDonald's and
it worked both times. I think asking for his phone number just kind of catches the guy off guard and he rattles it off with
no hesitation. If it doesn't work one place, try another place he worked at. You might also try getting a social security
number like this. You could probably do the same thing for other information such as him social security number and his
underwear size.
Be An Activist:
You only have their address and the library won't give you any information you need so your only choice is to become
an activist and start a petition. Get a clipboard, paper and a pen. Quickly write up a petition to save something worthwhile
like, "We the undersigned, are petitioning against the city's decision to tear down our local grade school and turn it into a
landfill." Make up a whole bunch of names and sign them to your petition. Get about 25 names to make it look legitimate.
Now go up to the guy's door and knock. When he answers have a prepared speech ready about what you're petitioning
against and convince him to sign it too. Be really friendly and outgoing with him so he'll like you and want to help you out.
You might also ask him to include his phone number after he's signed his name so you can contact him about other local
situations that might affect him. Who knows, he could fall for that one. Assuming you can decipher his adult signature,
you now know who lives there.
Answering Machine Hacking:
The answering machines that let you call in remotely and retrieve your messages are very commonplace these days.
The owner of the machine can simply call his own house from the office and punch in a small code to listen to his
messages. For us, it's a guaranteed lode of information. Their messages can contain all sorts of useful information such as
phone numbers to close friends and relatives, when they'll be out of town, who their doctor is, where they work, just about
anything. When someone leaves a message they assume that only the person they're leaving it for will hear it. Fools.
Usually the code is only two digits long and very easy to break. On one brand of machine the code is only one digit
long and on some it can be three. Wait until their not home and start working on their machine. Call their house and after
the tone start hitting random numbers to see if you can break the code. Here are some helpful guidelines:
o A standard feature on a lot of brands of machines lets you not have to listen to their outgoing message everytime
you call. If you get sick of the outgoing message try pressing "*" and sometimes that will bring you directly to the beep.
o Some machines only give you a certian amount of time to press in the security code so if you're not quick enough
it'll hang up on you. Call back and try again.
o Other machines want you to press and hold the numbers of the code for about one second. So start from "1" and
work your way up until you either hit the code right or it takes too long and hangs up on you.
When you're trying codes try every number once and then do the same thing again over and over until you've hit the
right number. Most answering machines are just looking for those right two numbers and don't care what else you're
hitting.
After you've finally got it, keep calling back and use the process of elimination to narrow your way to their code. Let's
say that when you hit "123456" it lets you in. Next time you call, try "12345" and see if you still get in. If you do, try "1234"
and so on until you eliminate your way down to their two or three number code. You'll know when you've broken in when
it starts giving you weird beeping noises.
After you've figured out their code, sometimes you have to dial one more number to hear the messages. Most of the
time the machine will automatically play the messages after you put in the security code but on some you have to dial
number "1" or something like that. Not really that hard to figure out.
For the more malicious people out there, you can do more than just listen to their messages, a lot of machines will let
you change the outgoing message, erase all the messages and monitor all the sounds in their house. Of course, when you
start fucking around with them, they know you're there and the whole purpose is defeated.
Now that you've figured out their code, you want to call every day that you can and take notes of all the messages that
you hear. Even the small things could mean something to you one of these days so write down every name and phone
number that's put on there. Write down all the personal information you hear because you never know what you'll be able
to use in the future.
Try to make sure you're not erasing his messages every time you call or he'll start to wonder why he never gets
messages anymore. Sometimes an answering machine will automatically erase the messages after you've listened to them
remotely unless you put in a code afterwards.
This Is The IRS, Pal.
Recently, I called up a few hospitals where someone I knew worked and I neede a little information on him. I was
amazed at how easily they give out information when they think you work for the IRS. I was able to get his social security
number, phone number, home address and they even told me where else had wrote down that he worked at in the past.
Call up the place where he works. If it's a bigger type business such as a hospital or the White House, ask for the
personell department.
HER: Yes, this is Sherry, may I help you?
YOU: Hi, Sherry, this is John from the IRS. We've been investigating an employee we think is working there for you.
Could you tell us if there's a Beavis Martin working there?
HER: Just a second......Yes, he's working here.
YOU: Okay, do you have a fax machine there where you could fax me his job application and tax forms?
HER: No, we don't have a fax machine.
YOU: Could I just get a little inforamtion over the phone then?
HER: Sure.
If it's a little business like a video store or something, they usually won't have a fax machine so you have nothing to
worry about. If it's a bigger business they might have them so you wouldn't want to ask them that unless you have a fax
machine where you can recieve the fax. Or you could always have them fax the papers to a local copy shop where you can
pick them up. (Wait a second, I think I'm repeating myself here...)
Ask the lady what social security number he put down explaining that he has been known in the past to write down
bogus numbers to avoid paying taxes. Ask what his phone numbers is, and anything else you feel would be useful for you.
Tell her that this whole thing is strictly hush-hush and that she shouldn't mention to Beavis that you're investigating him.
This will really lower her opinion of her employee, knowing that he's into tax fraud.
Getting a Copy of Their Phone Bill:
First of all, you need an address where the phone company can send their bill to. You don't want to use your own
address as that would be really stupid of you. Get a bogus p.o. box, vacant house, or fill out a change of address card and
forward mail going to a certian address in his name to you.
Call the residential billing office and explain to them that you want all your future phone bills to be sent to a p.o. box
instead of your home from now on. She'll gladly make that change and his next phone bills will start arriving at the new
p.o. box.
Now you want to get copies of their past phone bills. Call up the residential office again and tell them that the
company you work for has agreed to reimburse you for all the company-related calls you've made from your home in the
last four months but you've thrown all your phone bills away. Ask them if they can mail you your last four or five phone
bills. They can and they will.
Now in two weeks you'll recieve copies of his phone bills from the last four months and be able to see all the long
distance calls he makes. After you get the bills you'll want to call the residential office again and change his billing address
back to how it was so he won't know anything ever happened.
Another thing to do if you want to continue recieving his phone bills and don't really care if he knows is to call the
billing office and tell them on your next phone bill you want a list of every local number that was dialed so you can "see
why your kid's making so many phone calls". My dad did that to me once and there was about fifty pages of bulletin boards
I'd called, not to mention third number billed calls.
Knowing what he calls locally will help you out a lot. You'll be able to see exactly what he and his family calls, who his
friends are, their may be some personal numbers in there that he calls, etc. You can also see if he's the type of person to
call phone sex alot.
One more thing, if you'd like to get a new calling card number, since you now recieve his phone bills, you can order a
calling card for yourself and you'll recieve it just like you do his phone bill.
Finding Out His Number When He Changes It:
Let's say our man is fed up with us. He's tired of having his boss question him about tax evasion, tired of having his
phone bill messed with, tired of people playing on his answering machine, and tired of petitioners comming to his door all
the time. He decides to pay the $90 to have his phone number changed to an unlisted number.
Ha!, you think. He's just wasted $90 because I'm going to get his new number. If you've been watching this guy
closely you'll know who his best friends are and who his relatives are. You know exactly who calls him alot because you've
been monitoring his answering machine for two months now. Maybe it's his poor mother across town or maybe it's his
best friend that you'll pick, it doesn't really matter.
Now it's very simple. Let's say you pick his mom and dad's house. Call the phone company's billing office and pretend
to be the dad or have a girlfriend pretend to be the mom. You'll be doing basically what you did to get copies of his phone
bill but this time you're going to get copies of his parents phone bill. First, tell the billing office you want every local
number accounted for on your bill. Then call them back later and change their billing address to your p.o. box.
Now just to make sure that they're going to call thier son, you can call them and leave messages on their machine
saying that you're their son and to call him when they get in, it's important. Even if his parents can tell that you're not
really him, they'll probably call him and tell him what happened.
At the end of the month, you'll get their bill which will have every locally called number on it which will include their
son's new phone number. Call up their son and say, "Ha ha! You can't hide from me!" Read in the paper the next morning
about how he committed suicide by hanging himself with his telephone cord.
Oh, and while you're at it, doesn't mom and dad need some new calling cards?
Getting His New Number From ANI:
Otherwise known as Automatic Number Identification. This means that in the middle of the night you go to his
house, open his phone box, plug in your phone and dial the ANI number which will read off his new number to you. You
could also call up a friend that has Caller I.D. The best ANI I know of is 1-800-MY-ANI-IS.
Just make sure to be really quiet out in his back yard and watch out for those motion sensor lights that everyone has
these days. Those things will be the death of people like me.
If you have any additions or comments about this file, please contact me.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #021
The Official Job Application To Join The PLA
Written On February 19, 1995 - Last Revision on March 28, 1995
So...you want to be a PLA member? Well, here's your chance to finally make a dream come true. Complete the
following application, send it in and you're on your way to fame, fortune and police raids.
Initiation:
First of all, you have to prove that you're PLA material. You must complete the following stunts and have proof that
you've actually done these things. Proof can be photographs, copies of police reports, video tapes of nightly news
documenting your stunt(s) and/or newpaper clippings.
1. Kidnap and sexually assault at least twelve employees of Bell, AT&T or GTE.
2. Construct a working pay phone key and clean out all pay phones in the city and mail all of the money to me.
3. Get a hand written note from Kevin Mitnick telling you to leave him the hell alone. (...)
4. Must harrass a voicemail company and their customers to the point of putting them totally out of business.
5. Find a telco box, paint it red, piss on it and take a picture of it.
PLA Characteristics:
Members of the PLA must have certain characteristics and must be able to do certain things that make them a true
Phone Loser. If you're missing one or more of the following traits, please don't pursue this application any further and
come back when you're worthy.
1. You must be able to make a phone ring with the wave of your hand.
2. You have to have codes flying out of your ass backwards.
3. If phone company security ever decides to investigate you, you have to make them wish they had never started by
ruining their life.
4. You must be able to hassal Chris Tomkinson in your sleep.
5. Checks from the AT&T Refund Center in Jacksonville, Florida should be arriving at your house by the crateloads.
6. On an average day, you spend at least two hours cooped up in a phone booth, dialing random numbers around the
world, harrassing people for fun.
7. You must be able to construct a red box blindfolded and with your hands tied behind your back.
8. Have the entire script to the movie "Wargames" memorized. (Who doesn't??)
Test:
Finally, here's the Phone Loser test. Answer all questions to the best of your knowledge, fully and honestly, without
help from your parents.
1. A Bell employee is in your house installing a phone. List three ways that you can distract him so you can snag his
tool belt.
A:________________________________
B:________________________________
C:________________________________
2. You're on the phone with an operator. What are three proven ways to make her cry and/or quit her job?
A:__________________________________
B:__________________________________
C:__________________________________
3. Write a brief description of what the word "cactus" means to you.
4. Jim Bayless from Ameritech Corporate Security calls you at home and tells you that he's finally caught you and that
you're in the hot seat now. What do you do?
A: Start bawling and admit everything.
B: Pull up his file on your computer and start reciting all of his personal information just to shut him up.
C: Order a calling card to his home.
Okay, so that's it. You've completed the PLA job application. If you've answered all the test questions and you feel
that you meet the criteria, mail this application to your local police department and they will forward it to us. Be sure to
include your name, address and phone number so we'll be able to get back with you. (And run a credit check on you and
order you a calling card.) Thanks for your time!
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #022
BBS Back Doors & Flaws
written by Pestilence
Written On February 17, 1995 - Last Revision on February 19, 1995
Well, this is Pestilence here and I thought I would be nice and produce a file on how to hack boards through
backdoors etc. First I'd like to thank The Cracker, Vision, and The Joker. They gave me most of my knowledge on back
doors.
In the course of your BBS career you will come across a dumb ass sysop that for some reason or another you just can't
stand. Maybe he caught you typing in sysop commands, or he dropped your access, or he caught you in bed with his wife
and you just want to HACK his board. Well this file is for you. I tried to include as many doorz as i could remember. Some
versions may be too old for the doorz and some may be too new so if they dont work email me at (512).fuck.off and I'll be
glad to laugh at you...
RBBS:
Well, there aren't any known back doors but because of faulty language programming there are some flaws....
Bug 1
Versions this is known to work on... cpc 12.1c and earlier
Proceedure : Download sysops password
The sysops password is contained in a file called rbbs-pc.def....there is a trap in the code to prevent you from
downloading it. (gee...I wonder why) But unfortunetly the basic and dos are not in agreement about the equivilence of the
strings...basic says rbbs-pc.def <> rbbs-pc.def but dos truncates the last charachter and lets you get the file under the new
name. (note 'x' can be substituted for 'f' in rbbs-pc.de(x), x being whatever you want it to be.)
Fido:
Log on as your real name and tell the sysop all your information then proceed to go to the message area...from there
do an area command and it will list:
-----FIDO-----1...general
2...tech
3...fido mail
message ?
At the message prompt type '333333333' 77 times(no '') and this will lock up the system....from there it will usually
drop to dos.
Renegade:
From main menu type // king cott
Also on old versions enter into the bbs and go to the main menu...then turn the expert mode on and type 'i' 100 times
like 'iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii' etc...When at 100 press enter and this will give you sysop commands.
WWIV:
This part is for Excallibur since he wants to get back at the sysops in the ray league so here you go...
Go home and make a file called wayne.bell....in this program do the following
ctty
com1 <---- substitute the appropriate comm port...
Save it and you're set. Now this only works in registered programs that have been registered for over 1 year. The trick
lies in the fact that Wayne put a double loop in the init files to the modem so that he could log onto bbs using his wwiv
software. It has to be over 1 year old because newer versions Ymodem (that's the protocol you need to use) have
incorperated the newer 2.3 string emitter to keep other people who found out this trick from it...(I'll tell you how to hack
the new one in a second) now upload wayne.bell using y modem and type the following description....i am god _-_
wwiv*rulez. Got that? After all that go back to the main menu and type
//chuser
//boardedit
//dos
or whatever and it should work. If not you fucked up or the sysop is using a new version of wwiv.
Secondly....the /optik method lets you view sysop commands from the file menu but only in certain editions...I have
not been able to verify this method..
To hack the newer version see PLA001.TXT
Thats all for now. I will adress the following boards in my next edition:
acid bbs
celerity bbs
robo-fx bbs
vision/2 bbs oblivian/2 bbs
vision-x bbs
....and many others
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #023
10xxx Long Distance Codes
Written On February 20, 1995 - Last Revision on March 9, 1995
I decided to prove to all of you once and for all that I really don't have a life...So here it is...Starting on a weekend
night when I COULD have been out abusing illigal substances, I began to dial all of the 1,000 long distance codes, one by
one and here's a list of all the codes just to prove it.
All of these codes work from Corpus Cristi, Texas but if you're reading this from another state, you'll notice that some
of the codes don't work and there's some that aren't listed here. Sorry, but I just didn't have the time to take airplanes
around the U.S. and try out the codes everywhere.
To use a long distance code, dial 10xxx-1-AREA CODE-NUMBER. To speak with an operator, dial 10xxx-0. To
identify what a certain code is, dial 10xxx-1-700-555-4141 and it'll usually tell you what carrier owns it. That 700 number
is a free call, by the way. If you want to use your stolen calling card with one of these codes, dial 10xxx-0-AREA CODENUMBER and follow the instructions. Some of these people won't let you place a call unless you have an account on their
system.
Most of these companies know exactly where you're calling from and what your phone number is but a few can't tell
so you can use them as extenders. My favorite to play with is 109870. It's just like 1-800-COLLECT but it's a little less
advanced AND it's in Spanish. It really confuses whoever you call.
10009 Long Distance Network, 1600 Promenade #1510, Richardson, Texas 75080
Customer Service 1-800-999-0395 (See also 10395)
10036 Long Distance Savers, 3009 Desoto, Monroe, Louisiana, 71201
Customer Service 1-800-256-4491 (Very understaffed)
10057 Vadacom, 711 Louisiana Suite 2300, Houston, Texas 77002
Customer Service 1-800-947-1080 (Also goes by the name of Nationwide.)
10064 Fast Busy Signal
10070 U.S. Long Distance, P.O.Box 72906, Corpus Cristi, Texas, 78472,
Customer Service 1-800-460-1111
10080 LDDS Metromedia, 515 East Amidt Suite 200, Jackson, Miss 39201-2702
Customer Service 1-800-350-4211 (Automated Collect Calls)
10084 LDDS Metromedia, 515 East Amidt Suite 200, Jackson, Miss 39201-2702
Customer Service 1-800-350-4211
10085 WesTel Incorporated, P.O.Box 1985, Austin, Texas, 78767-1985
Customer Service 1-800-580-5585
10088 Wiltel Communications, 15450 S. Outer Forty Drive, Chesterfield, MO 63017
Customer Service 1-800-864-4060
10126 I just can't figure this one out, dammit.
10203 Cytel, P.O.Box 671905, Houston, Texas, 77267
Customer Service 1-800-324-7417
10211 AllNet Communications, P.O.Box 5032, Southfield, Michigan 48086-9958
Customer Service 1-800-783-2020
10221 Fast Busy Signal?
10222 MCI Telecommunications, 230 Schilling Plaza South, Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Customer Service 1-800-444-3333
10223 Cable & Wireless Communications, 8219 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182
Customer Service 1-800-486-8686
10252 U.S. Sprint. Some kind of backdoor, I think. (See also 10333)
10270 WillTel Communications,
Customer Service 1-800-864-4060
10272 Can't Identify
10279 Fast Busy Signal
10282 ActionTel, 400 Pine Suite 500, Abilene, Texas, 79601
Customer Service 1-800-588-2222 or (915)-672-2222
10288 AT&T Communications, (Can also be reached at 1-800-CALL-ATT)
Customer Service 1-800-222-0300 (See also 10387)
10313 StarTel, P.O.Box 6090, Bryan, Texas, 77805 (You have to subscribe)
Customer Service 1-800-366-2030
10319 Can't Identify
10333 US Sprint,
Customer Service 1-800-877-4646 (See also 10252)
10366 American Telco, 100 Waugh Drive, Suite #200, Houston, Texas 77007
Customer Service 1-800-444-0258
10387 AT&T Communications,
Customer Service 1-800-222-0300 (See also 102880)
10390 Can't Identify
10395 Long Distance Network, 1600 Promenade Suite 1510, Richardson, TX, 75080
Customer Service 1-800-999-0395 (See also 10009)
10397 Phone Loser Communications Inc, Corpus Cristi, Texas, 78403
Customer Service 1-512-370-4680
10403 VadaCom, 711 Louisiana Suite 2300, Houston, Texas, 77002
Customer Service 1-800-947-1080 (See also 10057)
10423 CTI Network, 800 N Shoreline Blvd, Suite 460S, Corpus Cristi, TX 78401
Customer Service 1-800-456-9077
10425 Capital Network,
Customer Service 1-800-569-8780
10444 Allnet Communication Services,
Customer Service 1-800-783-2020
10457 Dial & Save, 4219 Lafayette Center Drive, Chantilly, VA 22021-1209
Customer Service 1-800-787-3333
10464 WilTel Communications
Customer Service 1-800-864-4060
10479 "All circuits are busy now. Try your call again later."
10488 MetroMedia Operator Services
10502 Communications Telesystems International
Customer Service 1-800-569-8700
10509 Can't Identify
10555 WilTel Communications
Customer Service 1-800-864-4060
10569 Can't Identify
10596 Are circuits are busy and network difficulties. Typical.
10658 WilTel Communications
10661 Coastal Automated Operator, Salt Lake City, Utah
Customer Service 1-80010686 AT&T Long Distance Network. That's Weird...
10687 This one basically says, "Fuck you, we don't want you to call here."
10718 Can't Identify
10732 Private Network...If I dial 10732-1-NUMBER it tells me to dial 10288
and if I dial 10732-0 it acts as if I dialed 10288-0.
10733 LDDS/Metromedia Automated Operator
10737 LDDS/Metromedia Automated Operator (Again!)
10741 LDDS/Metromedia Communications
10751 LDDS/Metromedia Communications (Polly want a cracker?)
10780 U.S.Sprint,
Customer Service 1-800-877-4646
10797 LDDS Metromedia (Yet another LDDS automated collect call. Same as the
other ones I've listed.)
10800 LDDS Metromedia (Automated Collect. Sheez, how many do they NEED??)
10805 WillTel
Customer Service 1-800-864-4060
10810 U.S. Sprint,
Customer Service 1-800-877-4646 (See also 10333 & 10252)
10811 Intellical Operator Services (VarTech Payphones)
Customer Service 1-800-583-8811
10813 AllNet Communications
Customer Service 1-800-783-2020
10835 M.C.I. Communications
Customer Service 1-800-444-3333
10853 Network
Customer Service 1-800-530-4898
10872 U.S.Sprint Communications (Phoenix, Arizona)
Customer Serivce 1-800-877-4646
10878 ATI Network
Customer Service 1-800-456-9077
10879 NTS 687 (Very rude operators)
10881 Coastal Telephone Automated Operator,
Customer Service 1-80010888 M.C.I. Communications (Same as 10222)
10914 Century Long Distance, San Marcos, Texas
Customer Service 1-800-324-1234
10923 Thrify Call, 500 Carlson Circle, San Marcos, Texas, 78666
Customer Service 1-800-554-3057
10926 U.S. Sprint (Spanish Sprint Operator!)
10983 Fast Busy Signal
10987 LDDS Metromedia Automated Collect Call Service
You can either select English or Spanish collect calls!
10999 LDDS Metromedia, P.O.Box 628067, Orlando, Florida, 32862
Customer Service 1-800-275-0200
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #024
Dabbling in Credit Card Fraud
Written On February 15, 1995 - Last Revision on March 28, 1995
So, you want to be a credit card fraudster? Well, it's not that good of an idea because Visa & Mastercard are really
getting annoyed at people who are screwing them over all the time and they're supposedly in the process of re-vamping the
validation process and a lot of other things to catch the horrbile satanic feinds that use unauthorized cards.
However, if you really want to give it a try, here's all the info that I know based on what I've tried and gotten away
with in the past. I never had the actual card, just the card number and I improvised on the rest. Also, I'll explain how I was
busted right here in beautiful Corpus Christi awhile back.
Obtaining Credit Card Numbers:
I think the most popular method of getting a credit card number is digging around in a dumpster behind a big retail
store or some other business that uses credit cards so you can find a few reciepts. It's never really worked for me, though.
I've gotten very few credit cards this way and the few I did get were just by chance, nothing I was really looking for. In my
opinion there's a lot easier ways to get credit card numbers.
Impersonating Visa:
This one is my favorite. This is how I've gotten just about every one of my Visa/MCs. All you have to do is call up a
store such as a 7-Eleven, Tanning Salon, Florist, any business that uses a credit card and talk them out of their number.
Even Burger King will work although they don't get a lot of credit card business there. Here's how a typical conversation
would go if you called a Circle K:
CRK: Circle K, May I help you?
YOU: Hi, this is Bill from Visa. I was just returning your call?
CRK: Huh?
YOU: I just received a page regarding a problem with your Visa credit card machine. Were you having problems
there?
CRK: No, not that I know of. Nobody here paged you. Who is this again?
YOU: This is Bill with Visa/Mastercard international. When there's some kind of an error on your validation system
the machine will page us with the problem. Did you just have a credit card transaction?
CRK: Well, I had one about 15 minutes ago...
YOU: That's probably the one that didn't go through then. Could you dig up the receipt there and tell me the exact
time that the transaction occured?
CRK: Hold on...Okay, here it is. I made the sale at 7:43 pm and it was for a beer and some chips.
YOU: Okay, you smelly Circle K guy, I don't need to know all that, just the time, you fucking horrid bastard. What was
the amount of the sale?
CRK: $13.94
YOU: And the account number? It'll be 13 or 16 digits starting with a 4 or 5.
CRK: It's 4053-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.
YOU: And the expiration date?
CRK: I don't think I should give this out on the phone without talking to my manager.
YOU: Well, your manager isn't there, is he? Besides, the date isn't important I got the card number and I can just
improvise on the date and cause a lot of damage with that alone. Thank you very much and have a nice day.
It's as easy as that. If you don't believe me, pick up your phone book, dial Circle K and try it yourself. After they give
you a card number you can say something like, "No, that's not the one...Let me have the information off of the transaction
before that..." and get a second card number on the same phone call. My record is three working card numbers on a single
call. There's this Ammoco in Indianapolis that I used to call over and over every few days and get more card numbers and
they all just thought it was a routine legitimate thing. "Oh, hi Bill! It's you again...Let me get my receipts..."
The best time to call is in the evening. This is because the managers usually work in the mornings and are gone by
5pm and there's a lot of business in the evenings which means a lot of credit card transactions. If you call in the morning
you'll usually end up with a manager and they aren't as likely to give you a number as an employee. (But they still do 50%
of the time.) You can call on the graveyard shift in the middle of the night and talk to the stupid guy but usually there
aren't many credit cards used late at night and the stupid guy can't figure out what you're talking about.
This will work at about any small kind of place where the cashier is also the person who answers the phone. Don't try
a big grocery store like Kroger or you won't get very far. Tanning salons are a good start. (Dumb blondes working there.)
Hardware stores. (Dumb hicks that don't know a credit card from a table saw.) Auto Service Shops. (You know what
THOSE guys are like.) Florists get a LOT of credit cards it seems so I stick with them. If you want the absolute stupidest
people, get the yellow pages of Indianapolis, Indiana. That's where I've had my best luck, although your local yellow pages
will work just as well.
Working At A Store:
If you're the guy that actually works at a store that takes Mastercard and Visa then you're in for oodles of fun. Usually
your machine won't print the name of the card owner and the name is always a bonus to have so while you're waiting for
the printout of the transaction, memorize the name on the card. Also if you're allowed, ask to see a driver's license so you'll
have their name and address.
After their gone, write down their name and everything you know about them and get their credit card number off of
the reciept. Do this all day and just make sure your manager or the surveilence cameras don't see you doing all this.
Also, if your business takes credit cards, somewhere around there is a box full of old receipts from the pervious
months. Grab a few bundles of these and you won't have to do any work at all.
Friends:
If you have a friend that works in a place where he had access to cards, bribe him to give you the numbers in
exchange for something else like carded merchandise, codes, sexual favors, anything. Remember that getting them from a
friend would be really stupid. There's the security risk, (can you trust this friend really?) and you have to split the profits.
Better to just call up random businesses and get them yourself.
Telemarketing:
This idea came from Agent69 of Phreaks of the Industry. I can't believe I never thought of it myself. Find a
telemarketing building where they a credit card phone orders. Get into the nearby Telco box or the Network Interface on
the back of their building and hook up a tap. Either a tape recorder or a radio transmitter will work.
Now listen in when they start calling people and when they finally take an order write down all the information. You'll
have the card number, expiration date, name on the card, address, everything.
Making Sure Your Card Isn't Dead:
You'll want to make sure you're not wasting your time with a dead card by calling the Visa/Mastercard validation
service and checking your card to make sure it's good. First of all, you have to get a valid merchant number and bank
number.
Obtaining A Visa/Mastercard Validator:
Merchant numbers and bank number are pretty easy to come by. Basically, you just call up the business (convienence
stores are the best) and tell them you're from Visa/Mastercard Authorization or something important like that. Then tell
them that you need their merchant number. After they give you that, ask for their bank number. Employees usually don't
think it's bad to give out this kind of information. After all, they're not giving out CARD numbers.
Another way to get a merchant and bank number is to hang around the credit card machine in a store and look
around the counter and on the machine. Somewhere taped on the counter or on the machine will be a piece of paper that
has the merchant number, bank number and the number to call to voice validate a card. Write all these down when the
clerk isn't looking at you or just grab the credit card machine and run out the door with it.
Making The Validation Call:
The reason a voice validation exists is so that if the store's credit card machine breaks down the employees can call
this number to get validation on a credit card. You don't even have to sound official or anything. A lot of times the person
making the call to the voice validator is some idiot gas station guy who doesn't know what he's doing so you don't try and
sound important or anything unless you really feel like it.
1. You call the voice validator. The number that I've always used is 1-800-944-1111. If all the operators are busy, you'll
get an automated validation system. This is actually a lot easier to use.
2. The lady will say something like, "Could I have the card number, please?" Tell her the Visa/MC card number. Then
she'll ask you for the expiration date so give it to her. If you don't have it, make something up as long as you don't use the
date 04/83.
3. She'll now want your bank and merchant number. Read those off to her.
4. When she asks for the amount of the purchase, don't go more than ten bucks. I usually say something like $1.95 for
the total amount. (Pack of cigs or something.) The reason is, when you do all this, the amount that you give is going to be
charged to their card. So if you say $123.94 that's what they'll be charged. Then when you're making your fraudelent
purchase, your chances of going over their limit increase. So keep the amount low.
5. She'll say thank you and you'll hear an automated voice giving you a six digit authorization code. This code is
useless so don't even bother writing it down unless you just want to feel cool.
I have no idea what this does to the business's credit card inventory. When they run the end of the day reports, they
might be a $1.95 (or whatever) over in cash because of your call. I've always been paranoid about using the same merchant
numbers over and over because of this so I use different ones each time. If you don't get a good authorization code then
your card is no good and you shouldn't use it. Cross it off and try another one.
Obtaining A Post Office Box:
If you're going to do a lot of mail ordering, you need to have a place to ship everything. You're best bet is a post office
box. Now don't go to the United States Post Office because they'll give you an address like "P.O.Box 4161, Normal,
Illinois..." and mail order companies are wary of sending merchandise to post office boxes.
Instead find a privately owned post office like Mail Boxes Etc. or something similar. The address you'll have will be a
real street number and address (The address to Mailboxes Etc.) and your box number will be listed as a Suite! So your
address would look something like, "2382 Lloyd Center, Suite 204." Doesn't that look like the address to a condo or
something?
The price will vary but will always pay for itself. Usually the average price for one of those boxes is around $10-15 a
month, sometimes even cheaper. Another advantage to the normal U.S. post office is that these private mailbox people
will sign for all of your Federal Express and UPS packages! Then you'll get a little card in your box saying, "Please come to
the counter and pick up your package."
You need some I.D. to get a post office box and I'm not going to get into I.D. making right now so you'll have to figure
out that part for yourself. Usually they want a picture I.D. and anything else. Many have taken a photocopy of my driver's
license (altered) with no problems. ("Yeah, I lost my originals.") It would probably be unwise to keep the same box for
more than two months. It'll take that long for the card owners to figure out that something is wrong and for them to stake
out the p.o.box and bust you, I would guess. I have kept the same box for four months once and nothing out of the
ordinary happened so maybe I'm just paranoid. We did a LOT of carding on that box too!
Oh, and while you have this post office box you want to get the best use possible out of it so here are some tips outside
of credit card fraud to get lots of neat stuff to show up at your box:
o Columbia House and BMG. Need I say more?
o Book clubs. Go to the library and look in magazines for the different book clubs and fill out their cards for your first
few selections. They'll send you these books right away with a bill. Throw away the bill.
o Also, fill out subscription cards for a bunch of magazines and check the "bill me" option.
o This is the perfect place to send a bunch of out of state phone books to.
o Calling Card time! Call up random phone company billing offices around the U.S.A. and change people's billing
addresses to your P.O.Box. Tell them that you'll be on vacation in this state. Then, call back and order a calling card for the
same person. This is a great way to start a collection of all the different calling cards around the United States.
o Apply for credit. Your P.O.Box allows you to have several names listed on it to recieve mail. Use a name of
somebody you know who has really good credit and start filling out credit card applications in their name and your post
office box's address. Real credit cards are fun!
Different Types Of Scams:
Now you've got your good credit card number and a post office box. What do you do with it? Here's a few ideas to get
you started...
Free Airline Tickets:
This is what I started out doing and is how I got to see a lot of the United States. Flying around the world for nothing
is quite fun AND you get free meals too! The easiest way is to order the airline tickets through a local travel agency. Find
one that looks good and call it.
TVA: Scamproof Travel, how may I help you?
YOU: Hi, my kid had called there earlier inquiring about a trip and I just want to go ahead and set that up. He'll be
flying up here to Chicago to spend a few months with me.
TVA: Okay, I'd be happy to help you...
Just give them the information that they want. She'll want the date of travel, where you're going and your name,
address, phone, etc, etc. It's best to have it already planned out on a piece of paper. Write down your "son's" name and
address and "your" name and address. "Your" name and address will be in the city that you're flying to. Also have a contact
number in case they want to call you. (This can be a telco silent line or a VMB you have set up.)
TVA: And how will you be paying for this?
YOU: Well, is it possible to put this on my Visa card?
TVA: Sure! Could I have that number?
She'll give you your son's flight number and all that junk. Write everything down. To make it seem more realistic I
always inquire about the weather where she is and make stupid little small talk like all typical grownups do. Before you go
in to pick up your tickets, call the travel agency and say you're having trouble finding the place and could she give you
directions. This is a security precaution. If there's a problem with the card or anything else is wrong, she'll probably tell
you. (Or it'll show in her voice.) By the way, if you don't like to fly, almost all travel agencies offer Amtrack tickets as well.
It's the same process to order them.
If the card didn't work (you went over the limit) then you can either go to another travel agency or call back and try
another card number saying that you're wife must have maxed out the card or something. After you read about my must,
you'd probably want to try another travel agency. Before you actually get on the plane, call the airline (not the travel
agency) and confirm your reservations. Again, this is a security precaution I've always taken to make sure there's no
problems. So far there never has been.
Another way to get tickets would be to call the actual airline and order it directly from them. They'll charge an
additional $30-$50 this way, but you can afford that, can't you? The only problem is that they will almost always call the
bank that issued the card and verify the information on the card. So if you're going to do it this way, use the card owner's
real name and address.
Also, have their phone calls forwarded to you so you can answer their phone when the airline calls you back. If you
did it right, the ticket will be waiting at the counter for you in the airport.
I would suggest not going round trip. If you take a vacation to Florida and while you're there they figure out
something screwy's going on and have the feds waiting for you in the airport or just cancel the ticket, you're screwed.
Better to assume that you're going to have to get a new ticket when you arrive and if that doesn't work out, use the round
trip ticket as backup.
In some cities it's impossible to get a travel agency to take a credit card over the phone from a "father" so you'll have
to be sneakier. They want you to fax them a copy of the credit card and sometimes your driver's license. I've had this
problem in Los Angeles, Miami and most of Corpus Cristi. My solution was to find another city close by and try flying out
of that one. In one case, we had a girl we knew pick up the ticket in another state and mail it to us. If you've got a scanner
and editing program and some fax software, you could try faxing that card to 'em.
Free Internet:
There's a lot of boards out there that offer internet access with a creidt card payment on-line. A few even
automatically validate the card while you're online and give you access immediately. If you're calling locally, divert! Don't
make direct calls because they might trace, although I think it's harder to do that on a ring-down number.
Free Merchandise:
Here's where the big bucks are and this is why you made a fake I.D. and went out to get a post office box. It's also a
good idea to set up a local voice mailbox when you do this so that the companies will be able to call you if there's a problem
with the card and they won't get suspicious about fraud because you have a real phone number.
Dig out all your mail order catalogs. Computer Shopper is the most popular. Anything you can imagine is available
through mail order. Computer stuff, clothes, jewlry, houseware, everything. Sit yourself at a pay phone for a few hours and
just go crazy ordering merchandise from different companies, giving the your fake name and post office box and voicemail
number. Try not to use the same card for more than two purchases so it'll be less likely that the card will go dead.
The backs of almost any magazine will have ads for merchandise you can order with a credit card. (God, I hope you're
not reading Playboy!) Just go crazy ordering things for the next two months. Tell the post office people that you're running
a mail order supply house or something lame like that if they wonder why you're getting all this stuff. Order lots of stuff
that you don't really even need. You can always sell it or give it to friends.
Places like Office Max and Office Depot also offer home and office delivery. You can order things from their catalog
with a credit card and have them deliver it to your box and the post office lady will sign it for you.
Voice Mailboxes:
Almost all the nicer voicemail companies will let you order your voicemail service over the phone and give your credit
card number. They'll immediately activate your service and send you a paper and credit card statement to sign so it's good
to have a post office box for them to send this to if you want your box to last more than a week.
Any company will let you pay in advance as long as you want. So you can go ahead and order one year's worth of
service onto the card. And don't get the little flimsy individual service. Go all out! Get the mega-businessman enhanced
service with all the toys. You can afford it!
All the VMBs I've done on a credit card have lasted at least two months. A few of them somehow get overlooked and
last until the service is over with, eight months later. (My most recent one actually lasted seven months!) Use caution with
what information is traded over the VMB. The owners of the service might be listening to all your messages and taking
notes of the phone numbers and other things left in your box. Not good.
Free Miscelleneous Services:
Places like hair salons, detists and eye care will always take credit cards. All you have to do is call them up and say,
"Yeah, my son is going to college down there and it's about time he had an eye doctor's appointment..." Explain that you'd
like your son to come in and ask if it's possible for you to give them your credit card as payment.
Usually it's no problem. Not only did I get an eye exam last year, but I got a free pair of glasses and contact lenses!
The hardest to do is get a haircut like this. Just about every hair place I've tried won't accept a card over the phone. I'm
paranoid to actually go into the dentist. He'll have me strapped into the chair and fire up his drill..."Now WHAT did you
say your father's credit card number was? Hmmmmmm?" I've had nightmares about this.
Phone Order/Pick-Up Services:
There's a few stores out there that'll let you order something on their toll free hotline and then go into the store and
pick it up. So call the hotline and order something and say you're sending your "son" in to pick it up. When the order is
ready, walk into the store and tell them who you are. They might want to see your I.D. but usually not. They'll have you
sign a paper and give you your merchandise.
Before you go in, call them and say, "Yeah, my dad had something shipped there for me but I'm not sure where you're
located." They'll be happy to help you and if there were any problems with the card, they'll most likely tell you about them
now instead of when you go in to pick it up. The best place to do this kind of thing are Office Max and Office Depot. Don't
get too expensive or they'll want to see the card.
Phone Calls:
AT&T decided to rake in even more money by accepting Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards to place long
distance phone calls. Using a credit card has quite a few advantages to using calling cards. Then only thing that sucks
about it is that it takes a little bit longer to complete the call.
Dial 10288-0-AREA CODE-NUMBER. When AT&T asks for your card number, enter the complete Visa or
Mastercard number. An operator will come on and say, "What type of card are you using?" and you tell her which one.
Then she says, "Please hold and I'll get you the validation operator." The validation operator comes on and asks for your
expiration date and sometimes your batch number. The batch number is their new security feature and I just read them
the first four numbers of the card number and that seems to make them happy enough.
She'll say thank you and put your call through. When you're done with the call you can hit the "#" key and dial a new
number just like with a calling card but you'll have to read off your expiration date again and that takes about 30-60
seconds. The advantage is that a credit card will last until the owner gets the bill and shuts it off, regardless of how many
different states calls are being placed from and to. As of this writing, though, they don't allow any international calling.
RBCP's Bust:
Recently I was finally busted. Actually, that's the reason I'm writing this file. Before I wasn't sure writing a file would
be a good idea but now that I've quit credit card fraud forever, what the hell? (I always promised myself that when I got
busted for credit cards, I would quit for good!)
I pretty much screwed myself by breaking my own rules. I flew my girlfriend to Corpus to visit from Portland,
Oregon. A week later I started calling travel agencies around town to book a flight back to Oregon only to find that this is
one of those towns that won't take a credit card over the phone without me faxing a copy of the card to them. Finally, I
found a travel agency that would work.
I set up the tickets on a card I got from calling a local 7-Eleven. For some reason, though, I didn't call and make sure
the card was good and it ended up being a bad card. We went in to get the tickets and she couldn't give them to us because
the card was dead. She tried calling my "dad" in Portland (a VMB that I set up on a card) but she kept getting the message.
Go figure. So I told her that we'd come back later today or tomorrow after I'd talked to my dad.
We walked over to Office Depot and called the travel agency. I told the lady, "This is RBCP's father..." and I'd just got
her messages, etc, etc. I ended up giving her a different card and it didn't go through either. So, I said I must just be over
my limit because of the holiday season just getting over with and gave her another Visa and it went through fine.
Later, we walked back over there. This time, Colleen stayed at the pay phone to play and I went in to pick up the
tickets. The lady smiled and said if I'd have a seat she'd be right with me. Ten minutes went by and I'm starting to think
that this isn't usually the way customers are treated. Then a police officer walks in and says, "Could I have a word with
you?"
The next hour I sat in a cop car as the police went through my backpack. They were really interested in the items I
was carrying and wanted to know WHY I had a cell phone, police scanner, pocket organizer, tone dialer, voice organizer,
etc. They went over to where Colleen was using the phone and started going through her stuff. All this time she thought
she was being busted for red boxing until she saw me in the back of the police car.
So that's it. Not that interesting of a story, but that's what happened to me. I ended up spending one lousy night in a
holding type cell (not jail) and got out the next evening. I'm still waiting for my court date and they say it'll most likely just
be a fine and/or restitution.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #025
Taking Over Fred Meyers From The Comfort Of Your Own
Home
Written On March 10, 1995 - Last Revision on March 15, 1995
This is a little incident that happened while I was living in Portland, Oregon and a few people said I should write
about it so I am so be happy. Most people who don't live in Portland have never heard of a Fred Meyers so I'll tell you what
it is first. It's like a big chain of big stores in Portland. I'm not sure exactly where else in the United States they exist but I
had never seen or heard about one until I moved to Oregon.
Take a Wal-Mart and a very large grocery store and add a few extra things and you've got a Fred Meyers. They've got
a huge grocery section, lawn & garden, a huge hardware store built in, electronics, music, software, videos, a deli,
sometimes a big built-in eating area and a lot of other things that I'm probably leaving out. All in all it's not a bad store but
that didn't stop what I did to them.
Keep in mind that at the time all of this happened the employees of Fred Meyers were all on strike and they had a
bunch of temporary people working in the stores and nobody there really knew what was going on anyways so that just
added even more fun to the whole event.
The Discovery:
Me and my girlfriend (Colleen Card) were walking around the Fred Meyers located at Gateway Shopping Center,
shopping and eventually got separated. Since I walked all over the store and couldn't find her (not surprising seeing as
how the store is the size of a mini-mall) I figured I'd pick up one of the paging phones that are located on posts every few
isles for employees and announce all over the store for her to meet me in a certain place.
I found the phone and picked it up and looked at the HUGE list of all the different departments they have to choose
from and finally found the All Store Page listed at 1800. So I dial 1800 and hear a loud click throughout the store and I
annouce, "Colleen Card to the toy isle. Colleen Card!"
While I was waiting for her, though, the Matchbox cars got really boring by myself (Justin's dad, the kid I met and
was playing with, made him go home) so I wandered back over to the phone and noticed that all the department numbers
were in the exact same format as the all store paging number. Electronics was 1296, Hardware was 1693, etc, etc. So I
wrote down the two phone numbers listed on the front of that phone and put them in my pocket. Colleen arrived and we
went home to a supper of Burger King Whoppers. Yeah.
The First Phone Call:
By now I had this big horrific plan in my head that I was pretty sure wouuldn't work but I knew I wouldn't rest until I
tried it so the next morning while Colleen was at school I went back to the same Gateway Fred Meyers to test it out. (Gee,
have you figured out what I'm doing yet?) I went to the pay phone that's located in a foyer entrance type thing and boxed a
call to the inside of the store.
"Fred Meyers customer service, may I help you?"
"Yeah, this is Dave in electronics. Could you transfer me to extension 1800? I can't get it to work..."
"Okay, just a minute, please!"
I hear the funky Fred Meyers hold music for a split second and then total, dead silence. I hit the "*" button and hear it
echo inside the store... So I look around the foyer and there's a few people inside with me so I can't really say anything
loud. Instead I start playing "Help Me Rhonda" on with the touch tones and my musical masterpiece echos throughout the
entire store.
I couldn't wait any longer for the people in there to leave so in a low voice I start muttering into the phone, "Fuck you
alllll...You're all going to hell. I will kill yoooooou, I am Satan......." Now you'll have to excuse the total lack of creativity
with my first Fred Meyers speach but I couldn't talk very loud and besides, I was excited that this actually worked! I
decided to go inside and check out the reactions so I hung up.
The reactions weren't that great when I first got in. Walking by the photo section I heard a customer exclaim to an
employee, "Did you hear that crazy guy??" But the employee wasn't too talkative so that didn't get anywhere. When I got to
the Deli, things were considerably more active there. A guy in a suit (didn't look like a manager, but who knows...) was
talking to another important looking guy (security?) and the suit was pissed!
I went over to the Deli and pretended to look at the menus so I could listen and they were talking about me. I heard a
few things to the effect of, "Well, Dan's looking around for him right now." and "If I catch the little fucker..." It turned out
that they thought some kid in the store had picked up a paging phone and done it all. Then I noticed a few guys patroling
the isles with 2-way radios on their belts. Typical security dudes. So I got bored and went back home, waiting for Colleen
to get home.
The Twenty Minute Broadcast:
Later that evening, around 6:00 I had already told Colleen that I'd succeeded and wanted to try it again so we picked
up the phone in her room and called Fred Meyers. Again I got the service desk, asked to be transferred to extension 1800,
got hold music and then dead silence.
The first thing I yelled into the phone was, "DON'T SHOP FRED MEYERS!" That was the big slogan in town that the
employee who were on strike were using so I thought that would liven up the whole strike thing and if nothing, make the
local papers. I put on my Good Morning Vietnam CD which starts out with Robin Williams yelling, "Goooooood morning,
Vietnam!" and plays the clips of all his best radio stuff, including all the foul language and bad jokes.
Then I played a few good clips from The Jerky Boys's first cassette and started paging people to different departments
of the store. After about twenty minutes I hung up the phone so I could call back and make sure I was really on the paging
system and not just talking to myself like an idiot. So I called back.
"Fred Meyers, customer service. May I help you?"
"Could I have the shoe department, please?"
"Hold please!"
After about a minute of waiting, I finally got the shoe department. I told the lady I was Dan from security upstairs and
asked her if someone was playing with her phone there on the paging system.
"Oh no, sir! That wasn't from this phone. They think it was kids in the food isle. The security guys are looking for
them right now..."
The Two Hour Broadcast:
I thanked her and hung up. Now we knew we were getting through okay so I called them back and once again asked
customer service to connect me to extention 1800. By this time I guess she had figured it out because she wouldn't
connect me so instead I asked her to connect me to Lawn & Garden. When they answered, I had them connect me to 1800
with no problems.
The only thing I can't figure out is why when I was in their system they couldn't somehow get rid of me. Why couldn't
they shut off their all store paging system? Why couldn't they disconnect the speakers? Why couldn't they pull the plugs on
the phone for a second and then put them back in? Why couldn't they just hang up on line two? Anyway, here's a
breakdown of what our two hour broadcast consisted of:
1. Various type of store pages including....
"Customer Service to the sexual toys isle!"
"Customer Service to the anal lubrication department!"
"Customer Service to Customer Service! We don't know what we're doing!"
"Attention K-Mart shoppers! Don't shop Fred Meyers!"
"Al, clean up on isle 5. Some stupid bitch just spilled her fucking milk
all over the fucking floor, the stupid cunt!"
"AT&T, Please deposit 25 cents..."
"I need a price check on this vibrating cream."
"Security to isle ten. A lady is testing out the douches again."
"Security to isle seven. That little boy is stealing Froot Loops..."
"Security, monitor register two. BARBARA is working again."
"Hi, my name is ROY and if you find a furry watermelon, that's my gerbil!"
"Chris Tomkinson is the bestest, coolest guy in the world! Cactus?"
2. Colleen's Story Time Hour. She read a bunch of children's books and changed the wording around to make them
quite demented and gross. (This is where PLA024.TXT came from, by the way...)
3. Harmonica Hour! Together on harmonica we didn't sound that great but that didn't stop us...that alone probably
got rid of most of the shoppers.
4. Voiced our opinions of political issues.
5. Told very anti-religious and racist jokes. (We're not against religion and not racist people, we were just trying our
best to offend everyone.)
6. I played my favorite songs over the store via the local radio station, KUFO.
7. A special announcement by RBCP: "Ladies & Gentlemen, may I have your attention please...At this moment I'd like
you all to direct your attention to the individual working in Lawn & Garden. She is the very person who screwed up and
allowed us to take over your paging system! Not that bright of an employee if you ask me but hey, we're dealing with Fred
Meyers, right? So ma'am, if you haven't been fired yet...Thank You!"
8. Colleen sang "I'm a Little Teapot" while I yelled "Fuck God!", then she started reading off phone sex ads. Then
poetry.
Transferring The Call Ourselves:
Me & Colleen went to Gateway again. After getting on their paging system so many times, they must have put out a
big-time security alert or something because NO department would transfer us anymore so now I HAD to get it just to
show them. Here's what we did...
1. We find a phone in Isle 13 and write down the extension number off of it.
2. I stay there and Colleen runs out to the pay phone.
3. Colleen boxes a call to Fred Meyers and asks customer service for extension 1625, which is where I'm standing.
4. My phone begins to ring. I pick it up, dial TRANSFER, 1800 and hang up.
5. I run out to the pay phone and we say a few things into the phone such as "Ha, ha! We got through! Nyah nyah
nyah nyah nyah nyah!" and other assorted immature things.
6. We get kind of bored and go home. But it WORKED! Ha!
A few days later we called from home and asked to be transferred to extension 1625. A stock boy picked up the phone
and we told him exactly what to press and we got on again. They'll never win.
Interview With The Security:
After that night it got sort of boring. I was a little upset that none of this made the papers and we never got around to
doing it much more after that. Once while Colleen & her dad was in another Fred Meyers shopping, I got in and made a
few announcements, played a few touch tone songs, etc, but their system was messed up and they couldn't hear me very
well.
So one day I'm hanging around the Portland PDX airport because I have nothing better to do. One thing has led to
another and I'm sitting at a pay phone, using the fingernail clippers that I stole from the gift shop to splice open the wires
to the pay phone. (They wires were just shoved up under the pay phone wall and easy to get to. I had access to three
different phones, including my own.) I didn't mean to, but instead of just stripping the outer cover off the wires, I cut it
totally in half. I quickly learned which phone it was when the Japanesse girl next to me looked distressed, started yelling
something urgent in the phone, then hung up and went to find antoher phone. Whoops?
So I finally get my phone and the phone next to me successfully hooked together. I called Zak and explained to him
what I'd done. Then I patched in the other dial tone and called Fred Meyers in Beaverton. We had no problem getting in to
their all store paging. We fucked around for awhile on their system and got bored with it so Zak used HIS three-way to call
up the Gateway Fred Meyers. We asked the customer service lady for security.
"Security, may I help you?"
"Yes, this is Roy from the Orgonian Newspaper. I was calling in regards to your problems that I've been hearing about
with your paging system?"
"Well, sir, that's a problem that has been taken care of. Is what was happening is some kids were dialing in from the
outside..." Blah blah blah, he rattled on for awhile.
After he babbled on for awhile and I asked him some more questions, I asked, "Sir, are you aware that you're
participating in a four-way phone call and right now as we speak, our voices are echoing throughout the bowels of Fred
Meyers in Beaverton? Now, you say that you're security for Gateway Fred Meyers, correct?" The line was totally silent after
that, then it clicks and he's hung up, probably franticly calling Gateway to find out if it's true. I then made an
announcement, "Yes, shoppers of Fred Meyers, this is the kind of intelligent people that you're dealing with every day,
shopping here!"
We hung up and Zak called Fred's back to ask the lady if we were really on the system. She verified that we were so we
asked to be transferred to 1800 and she told us to please hold.
"Security, may I help you?"
"No, she must have misunderstood us. We didn't want security, we wanted extension 1800 so we can frollic around
your paging system freely!"
"Well, sir, I don't think that's going to happen."
Another incident with security happened when I called security from Clackamas Town Center, just out of boredom.
(The very mall that Tonya Harding likes to skate in, by the way! Boy, do I feel important.) I called Gateway security and
had a long conversation with the security lady. I told her I was the one responsible and she said, "I know, I have the same
number on my Caller I.D. here." which is bullshit because I'd never called Fred's from that Mall.
"Well, ma'am, did you think what I did was funny?"
"No, not at all, actually."
"I bet you smiled, though..."
"Well, yeah, until you started getting vulgar. You really upset quite a few shoppers here."
"That was my plan, though."
"Why?"
"Because I have no life."
Afterwards:
I know the story just kind of ended there and didn't really have any kind of point to begin with but I thought I'd write
it to see what you think. (Which is probably that we all need to get a life.) Since that day we've been on the paging systems
of various stores around Portland, saying pretty much the same things each time. It actually gets old after awhile but it's
really fun at first. I severely shocked the shit out of myself trying to hook another pay phone to my original two so don't try
that unless you're wearing big rubber yellow gloves! It never did make the paper that I'm aware of and the strike is over
and things are pretty much back to normal there. So if you want to call Fred's and try it yourself, feel free!
K-Mart uses a similar phone system nationwide but I never have been able to get into their paging system. Actually,
I've never been able to get into any other store except for Fred's so please mail me if you get anywhere with other stores.
Wal-Mart, perhaps?
Phone Numbers:
Gateway Fred Meyers - 503-254-7905
Beaverton Fred Meyers - 503-690-5823
Rockwood Fred Meyers - 503-669-4600
There's a billion others in Portland, but those are just the ones I have listed and I'm too lazy to dial information. The
paging code for most of them is 1800, but Rockwood for some reason is 800. If you want Isle 13 at Gateway, the extention
is 1625. (Talk to a not-too-bright stock boy!) I don't encourage actually doing this, but think it would be funny as hell.
Contact me at the numbers listed below for future developments.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #026
Information On A Few Phone-Type Offices
Written On March 18, 1995 - Last Revision on March 20, 1995
Piling up in a few of my notebooks is information on various phone company and other offices around the U.S.A. that
I've had reason to do research on in the past (Usually the reason was that I didn't have much anything better to do with my
time.), so I'm going to type up the information I have and turn it into yet another PLA file that really has no use except to
clutter up your hard drive just a little bit more.
Portland, Oregon Directory Asisstance
735 SW Stark, Room 912
Portland, Oregon 972xx
(503)-242-5575 Office
This is one of the four offices that you reach when you dial 1-503-555-1212. The other three offices are Canton, Ohio;
Cleveland, Ohio and Salem, Oregon.
Known Service Asisstants (Supervisors): Carol, Nancy, Charmaine, Barb Walker (manager), Kitty Lund, Diane
Cordiar, Daffney Truats,
Known Operators: Gail, Laura (Laurie) #2245, Lois #1061,
Office uses General Datacomm terminals. Dedicated keys include Air, Auto, Bank, Hospital, Motel, Pac, School, COC
(Chamber of Comerce?),
U.S. Sprint (LDUSA)
3rd & Johnson Commercial Court
Wynonna, Minnesota 55987
(507)-454-8386
This is an interesting one that I ran across while compiling PLA023.TXT. Here's what happens when you dial 102520:
1. The operator that answers will only identify herself as a "special billing operator." I guess that makes her feel
important. She'll be freaked out that you're calling her and she doesn't have your information on her screen. She won't tell
you where she's calling from, but a few will hint that they're calling "from the mid-west." I finally got one of them to admit
where they where calling from which is Wynonna, Minnesota by telling them that I was their supervisor in Chicago. Even
if you ask, "Hi, have I reached the Wynonna, Minnesota office?" they usually won't tell you. One of them told me they were
a "Hospitality Operator."
2. They WILL place a call for you collect, third party (with verification), or on a calling card. They won't dial direct
(free) or with your red box. Usually, though, before they place the call they give you the third degree asking you questions
like: "Who are you?", "Are you calling from a pay fone?", "What number did you dial to get me?", "What number are you
calling from?" and a few other mundane questions. Whatever you do, don't tell her the access code you dialed to get her.
This is interesting and we don't need them shutting it off.
3. She won't complete a toll-free (800) call for anyone but three times now, I've convinced her to anyways, saying that
I was a GTE lineman. Each time I had her call a different ANI number and each one came up with a number in Los
Angeles. One of them is 213-892-8743 which just rings and never answers. The other one is 213-624-9126 which says,
"This number is disconnected..." And 213-892-8933. And 213-892-8996.
4. If you try to make a direct call (such as 10252-1-512-370-4680) you'll get a screwed up voice saying, "We're sorry,
the number that you are calling from is not in service at this time. Call your carrier for asisstance..."
5. Most of the operators will claim that they have your number on their screen but they'll still ask you for your
number and they won't tell you what your number is if you ask for it. Also, some operators admit that they can't see where
you're calling from so this leads me to believe that none of them can. Except ONE operator so far knew which city and
state I was calling from. Most of them can't even tell which state so I don't know. If they don't know where I am, how do
they know how much to bill me for a long distance call? For all they know, I'm calling someone down the street.
Here's a conversation I had with one of them today:
ME:: Dialing 10252-0...<ring> <ring>
HER: ...Uh...Sprint, may I help you?
ME:: Hi, is this the Wynonna, Minnesota office?
HER: I can't give you that information.
ME:: Well, you're not in Los Angeles, are you?
HER: (Pauses to think...) No.
ME:: Well, I just wanted to ask you a question. How come when I have you dial the ANI number, it gives me a
number in the 213 area code and not there in Minnesota?
HER: Do you work for us?
ME:: No, I work against you.
HER: Hold on just a second...(Gets her supervisor)
SUP: This is the supervisor, may I help you?
ME:: Yeah, how come when I dial ANI through you I get Los Angeles?
SUP: (Sounds pissed) Who are you??
ME:: Alex.
SUP: Well, who do you work for?
ME:: McDonald's (No, I really don't work there...Give me a break.)
SUP: McDonald who??
ME:: McDonald's, the fast food joint, you know? Could you please tell me what number you show that I'm calling
from? What's on your screen?
SUP: I'm not at liberty to give out that information.
ME:: Hmmmmm...Could you VERIFY the number?
SUP: No, I can't do that either, I'm sorry. What number did you dial to reach this office?
ME:: I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to give out that information.
SUP: Why not?
ME:: Well, I'll make you a deal. You give me my phone number and I'll give you your phone number.
SUP: No, I can't do that.
ME:: Please? I'll box you a quarter...
SUP: (Laughs) No, what number are you calling from?
ME:: Well, we both obviously need information from each other so here's what we're going to do: I'll tell you my area
code, YOU tell me my prefix, I'll tell you the first two numbers of my suffix and YOU tell me the last two numbers. That
sounds like a reasonable trade.
Well, that goes on and on. I spoke with this operator for 10-20 minutes and it just goes downhill from there. I've also
called them from home and harrassed them to death. The address of the office is:
Names of Supervisors: Dan, Glinda, Steve, Sue,
Names of Operators: Jenell, Cindy, Renae, Sarah, Dave, Pam, Jackie, Tonya,
"Is this a test call?"
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #027
Nursery Rhymes For Baby Phreaks & Other Perverts
Written by Colleen Card on March 30, 1995
There are plenty of phone phreaks out there who have children but those damned nursery rhyme books seem to
ignore this fact. Well, it can't go on any longer! This text file is a collection of poems and nursery rhymes for phreak
parents to read to their kids. Most all of them are a parody of some other kid's story so we expect to be hearing from a few
lawyers very soon.
Long call, short call, three call, free calls
a parody of One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish by Dr. Seuss
Long call, short call, three calls, free call!
Black box, blue box, red box, telco box!
This one has a little star,
That operator has gone a little far!
Say! What a lot of police there are.
Yes. Some are red. And some are blue.
Some are black. There's rainbow too.
Some phreaks are glad. And some are mad.
And some are very, very bad.
Why are they glad, and mad, and bad?
I do not know. Go ask your dad.
Some phreaks are thin.
And some are fat.
The fat one has a lineman's hat.
From there to here, from here to there.
Phone phreaks are everywhere.
It's a fact
Phreaks like to hack
some hack and yack
on a cellular track.
Oh me! Oh my! Oh me! Oh my!
There are alot of phreaks nearby!
Some have two phones, and some have four.
Some have six years and some have more.
Where do they come from? I can't say.
But phone wires travel far, from a long, long way.
We see phreaks come. We see them go.
Some red boxes are fast and some are slow.
Some phreaks are lame. And some are pros.
Not one of them is like another.
Don't ask why. Go ask your mother.
Say! Look at his PBXs! One, two, three...
How many PBX numbers do I see? One, two, three, four,
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. He has eleven!
Eleven? What a fucking jew. I wish I had eleven too!
Ring! Ring! Ring! I hear an operator begin to scream.
I hear her scream as her headset rings.
But I have a backdoor to MCI.
The operator can't get my ANI. So...
If you like to go Ring! Ring! Ring! Just call my backdoor number
And make the operator scream.
Who am I? My name's Colleen. I do so like to make phones ring.
It is good. And it is right.
To screw with people's heads all night.
And when I make those red box tones. I like to stand at an Ameritech phone.
Hello there, Chris. How do you do? Tell me, tell me what is new?
How are things in your little head? What is new? Is Ryan dead?
I do not mean to sound unkind. But who are you on my phone line?
I do not think your call's sincere.
So please go on GET OUT OF HERE!
Oh dear! Oh dear! I didn't hear.
Did you say Mildred Monday wants to bill here?
Say look! Get your finger out of your ass.
I bet you can't say that five times fast.
The moon was out and we saw some agents.
We saw some agents of the F.B.I.
By the light of the moon.
By the light of a star.
The agents searched from near to far.
They haven't caught all the phreaks thus far.
For now good-bye, it's time to phreak.
Keep your number unlisted, and your phone calls phree!
Harry Little Roy
All the perverts like to spend the day molesting gerbils together, but not hairy little Roy. He doesn't want to play with
his friends, he wants to go to the park and have fun. Little Roy walks all the way through the park where he meets a cute
frog. "Come play with me!" says Mr. Frog. Flip-flop and hippity-hop, they play leapfrog with Crisco across the meadow.
Then, SPLASH! Mr. Frog's limp body falls into a big pond. "Mr. Frog, why do you have to be so fragile?" Sobs hairy little
Roy. "Now I will be very lonely without a playmate." Luckily a kind horse was passing by, "Don't be upset, little Roy," says
Ms. Horse.
"I'll be your playmate and take good care of you!" Clip-clop and hipity-hop they trot back across the meadow. Hairy
Roy is happy he has someone to take home to his apartment. Harvy, Roy's gerbil is happy too, he has a headache!
All Roy's friends come over and they have a big party with Ms. Horse. The next morning Hairy Roy gives her a quarter
and thanks her for the great evening. Hairy little Roy LIKES horses.
---------------
The phreak is a person of talent and pride,
All the knowledge he has will make some cockeyed,
If you choose to cross him he will bide,
Upon getting their numbers your FAMILY he'll chide,
That might made your grandma an extreme homocide,
And your family, in you, will no longer confide,
You may find all your friends becoming very snide,
As a voice on the phone threatens to make them one-eyed,
When your eyes start going crazy and your brain overrides,
When the phone makes you retch and you consider suicide,
If the police always come over and want to kick your backside,
Then I guess to that telephone company you should have lied,
Maybe someday you'll get lucky and breathe in monoxide,
Since your family has all had to change their reside,
Too bad your father wants to make you into a cowhide,
I guess you should say prayers by your squalid bedside,
I want to tell you, Sylvia, that's it's now time to hide!
(this one's to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling, telephone,
I will hope that no one's home,
So I can break into your answering machine,
Change your message so your mom will scream.
Ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling, telephone,
I will hope that no one's home.
---------------
One, two, three, four,
A phreak is knocking at my door.
Five, six, seven, eight,
His lineman's belt is on him straight.
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve,
He's putting phone wires under my shelf.
Red Box Love Song
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are grey!
You'll never know dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away.
I saw a pay phone, I had no quarters,
I was lonely and I was blue.
Then you pulled out your handy red box,
And I knew your love for me was true.
The AT&T operator was being mean to me,
So I cried as you held my hand.
She threatened to call Telco Security,
So we laughed and said, "We're phone phreaks, ma'am!"
I hear a red box, it chimes to sweetly,
In the night as I'm in your arms,
We'll call Jamaica and Austraila,
And to us there will come no harm.
---------------
Dog and a cat and a line man's hat?
In the night I see you on my bathroom mat.
If you wish for a quarter, maybe a dime.
I might build you a red box and you will be fine.
(to the tune of Bah Bah Black Sheep)
Operator, operator, place my call,
I found this number on a bathroom wall.
You can't have my number and you can't have my name,
I'll give you a card number and you can keep the change.
Operator, operator, have you any codes?
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Loads and loads!"
Some for the businesses,
Some for the lone,
Some for the phone phreak who can guess my home.
---------------
Hey, Kevin Mitnick,are you ashamed,
of all the little antics that have caused so much strain?
Could you be embarassed that you've been caught,
And that you're a role model 'cause phreaks like you alot!
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #028
How To Order And/Or Create Your Own Telephone Calling
Card Numbers
Written On March 28, 1995
Could that beginning screen be a little bit longer, you think? Anyways, thanks to PESTiLENCE for the opening screen.
I can't believe I haven't done a file on calling cards yet. I've been ordering calling cards since I was in diapers and there's
not even a PLA file on it. What in the hell is wrong with me? I wrote a file on calling cards a few years ago but I lost it i n a
freak accident with the lawn mower, I think. Not much has changed since then, though.
It's really simple and I hardly think that the subject really deserves more that a paragraph, let alone a whole file my
my pointless babblings should drag it out a little more. (See? Two meaningless paragraphs already...)
Selecting Your Target:
Your target can be anyone. A total stranger used to be my favorite choice but when I visited my parents recently I was
thumbing through my old high school yearbook and thinking, "Hmm, this guy was a real dickhead...This teacher hated
me...This girl turned me down for a date..." So since then most of the people that I decided that weren't exactly the best of
friends with me in high school have gotten larger phone bills than they usually do. They don't have to pay for the charges,
but it sure is a headache for them.
I usually make their pin number something meaningful such as my first name so I can call them up pretending to be
phone company security, "Yes, sir, well, I see here that your pin number on that fraudulent card spelled out the word
RBCP (my real name). Now on my records here I show that you had a disagreement with a RBCP in high school and we
suspect this may be an act of revenge on his part..."
So no matter who your target is, write down all the information you have on them. Mostly you will just need their
name and phone number but it helps to have their address and possibly their social security number in case the phone
company wants to verify it.
Ordering The Card:
The card number is almost always the owner's area code, phone number and four digit pin number. (xxx-xxx-xxxxxxxx) To make things easier for the customer, you can personalize the pin number. Used to, this was very easy and you
didn't even have to ask for it. The operator would just say, "And what would you like your pin number to be?" But in the
last few years the phone company finally realized that what they were doing wasn't that bright so they've tightened
security a little bit.
Sometimes they'll want to call you back at your home and if you're not at home then they'll want your social security
number to make sure that you're really who you say you are. Look up the residential billing office in the front of your
phone book. (Or if it's long distance, call information.) Here's how my conversation with the billing operator usually goes:
OPER: May I help you?
RBCP: Yeah, I had called earlier today about ordering one of your calling cards...I just wanted to go ahead and set
that up if I could.
OPER: Could I have your home telephone number, area code first?
RBCP: Sure, it's 512-370-4680.
OPER: Your name?
RBCP: Geraldo.
OPER: How many cards will you be needing?
RBCP: Oh...just one is fine.
OPER: Okay, I've placed the order for you and your card will be there in about two weeks.
RBCP: Okay, thanks! Hey, am I going to have the same pin number as I selected when I called last time?
OPER: I don't show that you called before.
RBCP: Oh, yeah, I called asking questions about the card and the operator said that I could make my pin number the
same as the pin number on my ATM card.
OPER: What pin number would you like?
RBCP: 7448.
OPER: Okay, it's taken card of. Thank you for using AT&Roy.
It's actually not really even that hard. But sometimes the operator will want some additional information such as your
social security number or she might want to call you back. If I don't have their social security number I just hang up and
call right back saying that I got hung up on and continue the order and the new operator will give me my pin number with
no questions.
Another way to get card numbers would be to send the actual card to a post office box. (See PLA024 for P.O.Boxes)
First you'd call up the billing office and ask for all of your future bills to be sent to a new address which is your post office
box. Then you'd call back and say you'd like to order a calling card and don't bother asking for a personalized pin number.
In less than two weeks you'll receive the card in your box. It'd be a good idea to forward their phone bills back to the
original address unless you're not planning on keeping that box for much longer.
DON'T place the order from your home! They're the phone company, for god's sake and they'll be able to check their
little ANI machines a few months down the road and see who called them for that order. (It happened to me once.)
Using The Card:
Here are some handy-dandy guidelines on using your calling cards:
Don't call from your home! Don't call from your friends' homes! Don't call from work unless you plan to quit soon. If
you call from a home number, you can easily be back billed for the charges. This happened to me in L.A. So unless you're
good with diverting, don't do it from home.
Keep in mind that the owner of the calling card will have every number you've called on his bill as well as every
number you've called from. So if this card is for revenge purposes, you might want to think about whether or not you want
this guy having your friends' phone numbers or not.
Don't use Sprint. (103330+number) I've noticed that after chain dialing a bunch of numbers under Sprint on a calling
card, the card will go dead soon after that. Instead use AT&T. (10288+number) You can dial a ka-zillion numbers through
them and it'll never go dead.
Don't distribute the card to out of state friends and don't call overseas. The fastest two ways to make a card go dead is
to use it from two or more different area codes a lot and/or do a lot of overseas calling. Instruct friends not to give the card
to out of state people and not to call even one overseas number. If possible, put an overseas block on the card.
When you're done with a call, don't hang up! Instead, wait for the person on the other end to hang up, then press the
# key. AT&T will say, "Please enter another number now..." Dial the area code and new number and it'll put you through
again without having to re-enter your calling card again.
Tricks:
By blocking your ANI and then calling AT&T, you can make your calls seem to come from anywhere in the United
States. The person you've ordered the calling card for won't have to pay for the charges if it's obvious that it's fraud that he
didn't have anything to do with. But what if you make all the the phone calls appear to have been made from his own
home? Then what's he gonna tell the operator? "Well, even though all the calls are coming from my home, I know nothing
about this card..."
Dial zero. Ask the operator to dial a toll free number for you. Give her the number 1-800-225-5288 and she'll put it
through. (That's 1-800-CALL-ATT) When you get the "AT&T" stuff, hit zero to get an operator. She'll ask you what number
you're calling from. Give her the number to the calling card victim's home. She'll ask for the number you're calling to and
for your calling card number and put your call through. After you're done with the call, your can hit the # key and dial
other numbers just as if you'd dialed direct and it'll all show up as being made from the victim's home.
In the past, I've made my calls seem to come from the White House, from local police stations, pay phones outside
the victim's home, and from the victim's grandma's house and mom's house and friends' houses. I'm sure this confuses the
hell out of him.
Caught Again:
Of course, I got sloppy a few times and got caught. While living in Los Angeles and using a card from my friend's
house, I charged about $40 worth of calls to a calling card number in Oregon. The phone company didn't even calls us
about the charges, they just tacked 'em onto my friend's phone bill and I paid them.
Another incident was when a stupid friend of mine in Highland, Illinois used a card I gave him every night from his
home. When the phone company called his mom, she gave my name and phone number so the phone company called me.
I admitted that it was me to keep my friend out of trouble and told the lady that the card number was written on a pay
phone and I didn't know I was doing anything wrong. She said in first-time situations like this they don't prosecute (I
stiffled a laugh) and they'll only charge me for the fraudulent calls made from my friend's house. A week later I got the bill,
threw it in the trash and moved to Indianapolis to meet Jim Bayless.
Only very few times has a phone company called a friend of mine that I called on the card and tried to find out about
me. When they did, my friends would just play dumb. This happened once to Martini (618) when a sherrif from the small
town of Roscoe, South Dakota (I ordered a calling card from there) deicded to investigate for his buddy, I guess. Martini
said she didn't know anything and that was the end of it.
That's It:
Now you know how to stock up on calling cards. Zak recently placed an order for a calling card through MCI and got a
personalized pin with it and it worked forever. He even gave the guy's incorrect address and birthdate but it still worked.
So, it's something I'm gonna try soon but don't really know enough to write about yet.
Phearless:
I have to show you guys this...A few years ago, a guy I know decided to create his very own kewl elite hacking and
phreaking group, although the only hacking he has EVER done in his miserable life is extract the PKUNZIP.COM file to
get into someone else's WWIV DOS.
Phearless (a.k.a. Jason Phillips) of Wood River, IL decided to call his k-rad group P.H.U.C.K. This creative title is an
acronym for Phreak/Hacking United Corporate Khaos. (Seems he ran a little short on creativity there at the end, huh?)
Anyway, what am I getting at? Well, uh...nothing. He's lame, that's all. Below is an edited version (VERY edited) of a k-kkewl file he wrote for the group. It was originally about ten pages long but I shortened it.
How to disable Caller ID.
blah,blah,blah,blah...He rambles about his amazing hacking group...
Okay. Onto the program... Do you know how to disable call waiting? You just use the *70, feature, right? Easy, eh?
Yep well all you do is lets say you're gonna call my bulletin board and I was a lame-paranoid bastard with no life who has
Caller ID. Well, all you do is before my number you type *71,. The number would look like this:
*71,1-618-254-4016
You see, 70 disables call waiting and 71 disables Caller ID. Are you kicking yourself in the ass now for not find this out
by yourself? To find little secrets like this, you just dial 0 and talk to the Ma Bell operator. You'll be amazed at how stupid
the Fone Operators are...They'll tell you anything.
Well, that's about it. That amazing top-secret classified phone company "secret" that he "social engineered" out of a
"stupid" operator and unveiled to us just happens to be available to anyone that knows how to open their phone book. It's
listed in there along with all the other standard *xx commands that everybody knows about and always has been.
(Actually, I think the 618 code is *67 now. It used to be *71 when they first got it.) He wrote that file before Caller I.D. was
even available to the area. (Ahead of his time, I guess.)
Anyway, I've had Jason's phile in my hard drive forever now and the only reason I kept it this long is for the comic
relief and thought maybe I could share it with everyone else. He wrote a few others, equally pathetic. That's it for this
issue, though. Now get out to a pay phone and start ordering those calling cards before they quit offering personalized
pins! See you in PLA029.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-370-4680 PLA Voice Mailbox
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
512-883-7543 PLA WHQ Texas Line
618-797-2339 PLA WHQ Illinois Line
And PLEASE Don't Pay For Your Fone Calls!
Issue #029
Getting The Pay Channels For Phree
written by -)r. -)re on April 25, 1995
You know what I can't stand? It's when you have absoPHREAKINGlutely nothing to do. That's where TCI or your
cable company comes in. Are you tired of BASIC service? Well go ahead and read on......
First of all, take note of what channels you DON'T have. Try some like HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Disney?, Encore,
Movie Channel, etc., etc. These come in handy when you finally get them. Next, it is very important you do this when no
one is outside, otherwise the entire plan will be ruined.
Go outside. Find where you cable relay is. Not the one on your house, dork, but the one in your alley, telephone poll,
backyard, frontyard, or near your house. The BOX type cable relay is usually green or gray. These are the easiest to break
into. What you need is a hammer and a point (optional). What really works good is a geologist hammer. Anyways, enough
on the history of hammers, hell just find a way to break the piss-ant lock on the cable box. Once you get the lock off (tough
huh?) take a look at the cable relay. There is sometimes more than one cable line into the box. This is probably your
neighbors cable. Find the one in the box that is on your side. Confusing? Here let me show you.
Ok James Bond, your operation is to remove the little silver looking tubes. These tubes block out channels like HBO
and Showtime. Take off one of the little tubes. Close the box, go inside, turn on your T.V and flip through the pay channels
to see which channels the Lucky Charm Elf left you. Ok, you keep removing them until you have every single pay channel
imaginable.
There is one problem with this plan, next time the cable man comes by andsees you have been ripping off over $50
worth the pay channels every month, he is going to be pretty pissed off. So he'll be thinking,"I'm gonna get them
goddamned thieves!" He'll probably disconnect you cable. Just think about it. "Uhhh ohhhhh! this will be
REEEEAAAALLLL HARD to reconnect." Just go out to the cable box and reconnect the disconnected wires. One way to
get around this is to give everybody in your neighborhood free pay channels, that way he can't convict the culprit. If you
keep doing this every month w/o being caught then you got it made. Otherwise they will permanently disconnect your
cable and take you to small claims court for every dollar worth of cable you stole.
For you pissholes whose cable relay is on a telephone pole, you are going to have to steal some pole climbing shoes or
get one long fucking ladder. This gets to be a real bitch. Just find the cable wires leading into your house. Take ALL of the
tubes off since you are sort-of in a hurry. Take your ladder down and go inside, make a glass of ice-tea and enjoy the cable.
Since it is late at night, there will probably be some tit movies on Showtime or Cinemax. Make sure you record them
with your stolen VCR from Best Buy. You can later sell these tapes to horny Indians at school like Raj, Rajan, Hashiv,
Tubah, Crewntol, and Bustav. See, not only do you get $50 worth of free cable, but can make $10-$20 off of movies too.
See? Being bored can be fun!
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-370-4680 PLA Voicemail System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET - directory pub\deadkat\incoming\PLA (Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
Issue #030
Completed On May 13, 1995
Introduction - RBCP:
Well, PLA030 is finally out. After getting a few ka-zillion pieces of mail and a few phone calls asking "So when's the
next PLA coming out?" I know why ErikB is always complaining about that. It's not annoying exactly, just kind of
repetitive.
Third party billing was disabled on my phone line a couple months ago for some reason, meaning I can no longer
make calls anywhere in the United States and third party billing it to someone else, not that I would actually ever try a
stunt like that. That's ripping off MaHell and that's wrong. But this month I got my phone bill and it was well over $300 in
back charges because of third party charges originating from my home. Well, I called the phone company and they seem to
think I'M the victim here and were more than happy to remove the charges from my bill, god bless them. So, when trying
out the activities out-lined in PLA005, remember, I got backbilled. (Even though they removed all of the charges...)
I also heard another story from Mike in Portland, Oregon about some idiot that billed to the same number over and
over and over and of course AT&T didn't like this and billed him for the calls. Worse yet, he was billing to a non-working
number in Canada, something like 514-xxx-1234. Not too bright. Anyway, I have a good excuse for being so "late" in
releasing this PLA that's about nothing in particular. I had a problem when, while walking down the street, a teenage
motorist and his friends passed by in their Camero and all screamed, scaring the shit out of me and making part of my Big
Gulp shoot up out of my nose.
Luckily, in all the confusion I was able to see their license plate number and write it down. I walked over to the pay
phone and called the local police department, got transferred around and finally talked to a lady who was nice enough to
give me the name and address registered with the car.
"Corpus Christi Police Department..."
"Hi, this is Bill with the Quickee Mart over on Charlton Street. I called yesterday about a gas drive off here for a total
of $83.71 and I was promised the name and address on this license plate but I haven't heard anything yet. The damn
sumbitch filled up his boat, camper, truck and three wheeler and took off. Now can you check this plate number for me?"
After a little more pursuading she finally gave me the information I needed. With temperatures rising into the 100's
that day, I drug myself over to a nearby hospital to use their inside pay phones. While the lady left the front desk for a few
minutes, I grabbed her chair so I could sit down to use my phone. Looking at my watch, I saw that I needed to be at my job
in ten minutes but fuck it, I was on a roll.
The address I was given by the CCPD was in Manistique, Michigan. I made a few calls to 906 information and LACs
and the Manistique billing office to find out that the owner of the nice Camero was actually this little rich brat's daddy and
that his son, Dale, was just down here on Spring Break. Finding his alternative number on their phone account was the
dad's work number, I gave him a call at Century 21 where he worked.
"Century 21, this is Linda."
"Yeah, could I speak with Mr. Tullar?"
"Just a minute, sir..."
A few minutes of waiting and he was on the phone.
"This is Mr. Tullar, what can I do for you?"
"Mr, Tullar, this is Edward Garcia from the Corpus Christi police department, and it seems we have a problem with
your son here. Him and a few of his friends were picked up this morning for a few misconduct charges and in order for
him to be released you'll need to come down here and sign for him."
"What do you mean I have to come down there," he moans, "he's eighteen years old, can't he be let out himself?
What's he in there for?"
"Well, sir, an officer picked him up in downtown for running amok with a stick. Seems he was going a little crazy and
hitting old ladies on the head and screaming something about canoe heads. He was given a sobriety test along with his
friends and they were all intoxicated with grape kool-aid. This being a Friday, there's no way he'll get out until at least
Monday evening and even then, we won't be able to release the Camero as it's registered under your name."
"This is all kind of shocking to me...uhh...what do I need to do here? I can...that little son of a bitch...", he starts
muttering to himself.
"Sir, you don't need to use that kind of language around my phone. Now first of all I'm going to need a little
information from you to help clear all this up. He's facing charges on public intoxication, misconduct, running amok with
a stick in the third degree, burglary and terrorism charges. I need to-"
"What do you mean, terrorism?," he screams, "and where did the burglary charge come from?"
"Well, as I was saying before you inturrupted, I don't know how you people do things up there in Michigan but down
here in Texas you can't just walk into the Nations bank with pantyhose on your head and demand money. It also turns out
that the FBI is seeking him as the John Doe #2 involved in the Oklahoma City bombing. A secretary here recognized him
right away and the feds are on their way to interrogate him right now. First off, I need to know exactly where they were
staying so the search warrant can be served. You son is being very uncooperative since we found the cocaine in the trunk."
"He was staying at the Holiday Inn at Emerald Beach."
"Okay, very good. And could I have your social security number?"
"Yes, it's 600-00-7913"
"Alright, and for my report here I need your AT&T or local Bell calling card number."
"Oh. Let me see here...Okay, it's 906-341-xxxx-xxxx. What's this for again?"
"Don't worry about it. Now if you'llI looked up and noticed an angry nurse looking at me, demanding her chair back.
"It's okay, ma'am. I'm with the PLA," I said and held up a Phone Losers Of America business card for her to see and
she walks back to her desk, confused.
"When was your son planning on returning home?"
"Tomorrow morning. He was planning on leaving first thing in the morning."
At this point I hung up. This man was getting pretty boring and I had other things to deal with. Like Holiday Inn. The
lady at the front desk was very concerned after I indentified myself as "Bill from Visa" and explained that the young man
staying in room #236 was using a stolen credit card. Unfortunately, I had just missed them. They had checked out a mere
two hours ago. And I was going to go break into the room. Well, maybe this is better because now the dad won't be able to
contact them and he'll fly or drive down to get him out of jail.
I went up to the counter and told the nurse there to go grab me a Pepsi from the break room and threw her a dollar.
"Get one for yourself, too, babe." When she left, I grabbed her car keys off the counter, put her chair back for her (hey, I
was feeling nice) and headed for the parking lot. Her car wasn't hard to find, being the only Toyota in the lot. I hopped in
and took off.
Half a tank of gas, stick shift, working cassette player and tucked up in the sun visor was a Diamond Shamrock gas
card. A nice plus, but wouldn't do me a whole lot of good once I got into Kansas. At least she had semi-good taste in music.
I put in a Ramones tape and began to drive...
Driving all over town, I couldn't find them. I circled around the hotel parking lot a few times but no sign of them. I
went to Diamond Shamrock, filled up on gas, chips, soda, magazines, candy, maps, cigarettes and a road atlas.
Going back to the car I remembered that I quit smoking a few years ago but what the hell, it's all free. I gave one pack
to a bum asking for money. I contemplated stopping by my house but decided against it. Nothing I really needed there,
besides, I had my backpack which included my cell fone, red box, electronic organizer, spiral notebook, half a bag of
Cheetos and ummm...let's see...My work uniform shirt. I threw this out the window as I drove towards Interstate 37.
My concern wasn't really finding them along the way. That would be very unlikely to begin with. Actually, I'm not too
sure what my main concern was. I guess fighting off the boredom and not really wanting to go to work that night. So I
drove north, towards Oklahoma City, where I needed to stop and make a few phone calls. The drive was a little longer than
I anticipated and thirteen hours later I arrived at a rest stop in Minco, a town outside of Oklahoma City. I put the seat back
and closed my eyes for a good five hours of sleep. I didn't even see the red Camero pull in next to me.
The next morning I awoke to some little kids running around outside and yelling a little too loud for 7:30 a.m. I
staggered over to the pay phone and called Dale's house. As I hoped for, nobody was home. It took me about seven tries
but I finally got into their answering machine messages. A few real estate messages and then one from Dale.
"Hi, Dad! It's me..Uhh...it's 6:13 a.m. and we're in Tulsa, eating breakfast. Just wanted to call and let you know that
things are going okay. Haven't been arrested or anything, ha ha! Did you hear anything more from the police? Well, we
should be there in a couple of days. Love you. Oh yeah, something's wrong with your credit card. For some reason it was
canceled and the clerk at the Exxon station cut it in half so we're using cash 'til we get there."
I was starting to get a little pissed that they were so far ahead of me but that was cut short when the next message
started playing, "Yes, I'm calling for a Mr. Frank Tullar. This is Lt. Davis from the Corpus Christi police department and
I'm returning the call regarding your son. We've never had a Dale Tullar in custody and there's not even an officer Edward
Garcia working in this city. I don't know if this is a prank or what, but I think you called the wrong city or something..."
I ran in the bathroom to brush my teeth, shave and then headed north again, hoping to catch up to them. One thing
that damn nurse didn't have was a radar detector. I stopped in Oklahoma City to check out the infamous federal building
wreckage, took a few pictures and got on Interstate 44, going towards Tulsa. On the long drive I began to think. That's
when I realized that I forgot to tell Colleen Card I wouldn't be home last night. Whoops. I got on the cell fone and did some
major explaining to her. Got hung up on a few times and finally convinced her to pick up some airline tickets and fly up to
Wichita, Kansas to meet me. I set up the airline tickets through a local travel agency in Corpus. Too bad Mr. Tullar's card
had been mysteriously canceled or I could have used that to fly her up there. Instead I used a card belonging to some girl
named Lisa, the girl who worked at the travel agency. That would be a tough one for her to explain.
About five hours later I was in the airport parking lot, waiting for Colleen to show up. In all, I only lost an hour on
them AND I was brought a change of clothes and my lucky tooth brush.
"Nice car, where'd it come from?"
"Spohn Hospital. Come on, we got to catch up with 'em."
We made a pit stop in Lawrence, Kansas so I could plug into a certain sysop's telco box and leave the phone off the
hook on some 900 numbers. Then we continued into Missouri and through Illinois, stopping only once in a small town in
Illinois called Altamont to have some breakfast at Gilbert's Restaurant and to discover that most of the town's population
had no teeth. Most of the ride was uneventful, boring stretches of Interstate look the same in just about any state you go
through. It reminded me of why I always take the backroads and normal highways when traveling.
We tried to get into the Tullar's answering machine after we got lost and ended up in Logansport, Indiana, but Mr.
Tullar kept picking up the phone. Finally, I asked him, "Where's your son right now?"
"Well, he's on vacation and should be home tomorrow."
"No, I mean, what state is he in right now?"
"Oh! Well, he called a few hours ago from Effingham, Illinois. Who's this?"
"I'm just the guy who's stalking him. Don't worry about me, " I replied and hung up. I looked on the map and found
he was pretty far away so we hung around Logansport for a few hours, checked out the museums, their "beach", and
attended the Iron Horse Festival. Of all the places to visit we get one that has a yearly railroad festival. That being done, we
continued towards Michigan, hoping to see Dale on the road somewhere.
Finally we made our way out of the backwoods and into Michigan, a state I had yet to visit. Unfortunately, a state
trooper outside the city limits of Coldwater, Michigan noticed that Colleen was driving about 30 miles over the speed limit
and started chasing us. It was a pretty intense car chase around the city and finally ended with us and the police car
crashing into the front doors of the Tibbits Opera House and into the lobby. Air bags, you gotta love 'em!
I assume the officer had been rendered unconscience becuase we weren't chased when we ran from the building. We
ran across the field, through some back yards and ended up in the middle of a huge crowd of people. We later found out
this was the Bronson Polish Fevtival or something like that. We stopped at a concession to buy a few overpriced Cokes and
to consider our options. A block away a man parked his car next to a store and went inside with several large boxes. I
picked up my backpack and we ran to the car, got in and drove off. Small towns, you gotta love 'em!
Aside from an almost empty tank of gas, we were doing not so bad. Feeling paranoid, we waited until we got into
Tekonsha to get some gas and continued to drive up Interstate 69 towards Lansing. The rest of the drive north was more
or less boring. The new car was a little battered, yet fast enough. There was a nice radio but no cassette player meaning we
had to try and toon in the crappy hick stations along the way. The best one was some little independent station around
Ithaca where an old woman was selling her pot holders on the radio. "Three pot holders for the price of one?? Am I
crazy??" She was quite hilarious and I may write the radio station for a copy of that commercial to include in a PLA .WAV
someday.
We finally reached Mackinaw City, Michigan's lower peninsula and the end of our Interstate driving. It took about ten
minutes to make it across the Mackinac Bridge, probably the longest bridge I ever went across. We arrived in St. Ignace
and started driving west on Highway 2, only a few hours from Manistique, home of the guy who made me lose my Big
Gulp. I wondered if he was there yet.
Brevort, Engadine, Blaney Park and finally Mantistique. We had made a stop at a Wal-Mart in Engadine so I could
pick up some school supplies and made a few fake I.D.'s on the way there, one in Dale's name and one in his dad's name.
Manistique seemed to be mostly an upper-class type of town located on the edge of Lake Michigan with Indian Lake
on the other side and some kind of a really odd bridge somewhere in the middle. Dale's house wasn't hard to find and his
Camero was in the driveway.
Wait a minute, this is the introduction, isn't it? Why the hell am I rambling on about my personal problems? Here's
PLA Issue #30. Not a whole lot in it, but enjoy it before the feds come over a confiscate it along with your computer. Ah,
I've got just a few more things to say...After all these months we finally decided to call back Dino Allsman just to say "hi"
and he didn't really appriciate the call. Zak tried to tell him that we were sorry and he just cussed a lot in our general
direction. I think the 2 minute string of swearing from him would have made an excellent recording but stupidly, I wasn't
taping any of it. (See PLA014 for the scoop on Dino.)
I also hope it's alright with Dark Tangent if I advertise a partyline he set up for phreaks. The number is 801-8553326. For those few of you that call Hotel California, you'll notice that this one is similar but it's more phreak related.
Enjoy!
Cainesville Gets Fones Installed! - RBCP
This is a good one that Colleen Card pulled up on the library computer. It's a local news broadcast transcript on
10/23/94 about a little town in Utah that's never had fones installed until a few months ago. So here it is...
DANIEL ZWERDLING, Host: We are now calling a number in Cainesville, Utah, and Weekend All Things Considered
feels very, very honored to - four, five, six - we feel honored to be able to make history in this way. This town has never had
telephones before, ever, and they got 17 of them installed just three weeks ago. [sound of phone ringing] So far, so good.
FORREST SIMS, Cainesville Resident: Hello?
ZWERDLING: Forrest Sims?
MR. SIMS: Yes?
ZWERDLING: Hi. I was just about to tell our listeners that this is one of the first phone calls that you guys have had
in this town.
MR. SIMS: That's pretty close, yes.
ZWERDLING: Why did it take so long for you to get telephones? I mean, this town has never, ever had phones, right?
MR. SIMS: Well, they did many, many years ago, but it was just a single, little old hand crank, and then, when most
of the people left, they just kind of rolled up the wire behind them as they left.
ZWERDLING: Now, Forrest Sims, you own an RV camper park, right, called Sleepy Hollow?
MR. SIMS: Yes. It's a little RV campground.
ZWERDLING: And, what I'm wondering is, for all these years that you've lived in this town, how did not having
telephones make life better or worse for you?
MR. SIMS: Well, we think it hurt the business a little bit. We would just kind of get together if we needed to make a
bunch of phone calls. We would just wait 'til we got a fairly decent list going and then just drive into town and make the
phone calls.
ZWERDLING: So how far did you have to drive to make a phone call?
MR. SIMS: It would be 22 miles one way.
ZWERDLING: And, Forrest Sims, I should mention before we go on, we have another one of the 35 residents of
Cainesville on the line with us now. Ethel Jackson, are you there?
ETHEL JACKSON, Cainsville Resident: Yes, I am.
ZWERDLING: Hi. Well, congratulations.
MS. JACKSON: Thank you.
ZWERDLING: I'm wondering, Ethel Jackson, and also Forrest Sims. I'm trying to picture living in a town where I
can't call any of the neighbors by telephone. So that means if I want to talk to somebody, I have to either walk or drive to
their house, right?
MS. JACKSON: Right.
MR. SIMS: Well, as far as I'm concerned, the way it's been for us, you know, that's kind of nice, because then you get
to see your neighbor once in a while and sit and visit.
MS. JACKSON: That's what I think. Now we don't get to see them.
MR. SIMS: What was that Ethel? Go ahead.
MS. JACKSON: Now we don't get to see our neighbors.
MR. SIMS: That's about it. You know, you know of- in a way, you stop going down and visiting, and so, that way,
maybe it's hurt a little bit. Yeah.
ZWERDLING: Now, I would also guess that sometimes people would- you know, you'd show up unannounced,
obviously, because you couldn't announce it with a phone call, and would people say, "Hey, why don't you stop, you know,
come on in and have lunch or dinner?"
MS. JACKSON: That's what it is. That's what it's all about.
MR. SIMS: Yeah. That's the way it always happens.
ZWERDLING: But I take it people are going to have lunch and dinner with each other less often?
MS. JACKSON: WellMR. SIMS: I don't think so. Do you, Ethel?
MS. JACKSON: No, I don't. Maybe it might be just your local people around here but we still have people that drop in
andZWERDLING: Hmmmm. Well, Ethel Jackson, how many phone calls have you received today?
MS. JACKSON: Today?
ZWERDLING: Mmm-hmm.
MS. JACKSON: Oh, I've received one from Forrest and three from the lady that contacted me, and thenZWERDLING: Wait. This is all calls concerning this interview? Those don't count. Forget those four phone calls.
[Didn't she say three??]
MS. JACKSON: Oh. Well, I have my little grandchildren that call every day to see how we are.
ZWERDLING: Oh, that's nice. And, Forrest Sims, what about you? Are you spending a lot of time on the phone now?
MR. SIMS: Yeah, more so that if I had no phone, of course, naturally. But, so far, most of it has been, you know, just
to conduct business, and of course, talk to the family, which is out of state or, you know, up in Salt Lake.
ZWERDLING: All riht. Well, listen, Forrest Sims, Ethel Jackson, thanks very much for speaking with us today. I
understand that this is the first- the very first conference call you've ever had in your town?
MR. SIMS: Yes. That's for sure. I can say that.
ZWERDLING: Well, thanks for letting us be part of it.
MR. SIMS: Oh, you're quite welcome.
ZWERDLING: And, Ethel Jackson, if you don't get any- if you don't get more than one call a day, you can always call
us here at NPR.
MR. JACKSON: Oh, or you can call me. [laughter]
ZWERDLING: All right. I'll do that.
MS. JACKSON: Okay. Thank you. Bye.
ZWERDLING: Bye-Bye.
MR. SIMS: Bye-bye, now.
And that's it. After I read the transcript a few times I went crazy with the 801 Utah information trying to locate Mr.
Sims and Ms. Jackson so I could bother them with silly questions and maybe order them a few calling cards but
information couldn't find anything listed. No police station, no chamber of commerce, no fire department, nothing. The
information operator was even a little weirded out about this and I told her they just got phones installed in their town a
few months ago and she said, "I doubt that."
If anyone can get some information on this town, I'd really appriciate it. There's no way for me to even order tourist
information because there's no Chamber of Commerce to call. So if anyone gets any info on the town, please U.S. mail it to
me and you'll receive a FREE subscription to the PLA mag! You can't beat that, can you?
How To Get PHREE Merchandise From Your Local Electronics Store - -)r. -)re:
Are you tired of these assholes ripping you off? Are you tired of buying electronics for 25 times what it takes Intel,
Radio Shack, GE, etc, to make their products? That's where you come in! There is a simple way to get electronics for phree
these days and it's called bullshiting.
Bullshiting can be a lot of phun. In order for it to work you have to be and outgoing social person whose not afraid to
tell people what the hell you think about them. Bullshiting is very simple. There are many ways to accomplish bullshiting.
The first is to phind a local electronics store that has very poor security. I mean they have absolute shit for security. Stores
who keep their merchandise behind the counter (e.g. Circuit City & Best Products) are the absolute worst places to hit.
Pick easy going stores like Radio Shack, Computer City, and Best Buy.
Their are two ways of bullshiting that I personally know of. The first way is going into the selected store, pick up
whatever the product is that you need, rip the plastic off, walk to the return desk and bullshit them. What I mean by
"bullshit" is I want you to give them your very best lie. I want you to have this lie memorized back and forth OK? What
you are going to tell them is that you bought this product a couple of weeks ago and that it doesn't work now. You just
want your money back or an exchange. You lost the receipt and don't know what to do.
Possible outcomes:
1. They exchange the product for a new one
2. They give you a CASH refund.
3. They tell you to get the hell out of their store (in this case run out with the merchandise!!)
4. They arrest you? In this case you are going to need to bullshit a lot to get out of this one!
The second way of bullshiting is a little less risky. This idea was taken from P.L.A. text file #12. The only difference is
that you won't be returning only modems, you will be returning anything you want. In esence, what you do is you buy a
product, lets say a 128bit video card with 4 megs of onboard video ram.
Lets also say you bought this video card for $300. What you are fixing to do is, take your old 256k MCGA video card,
put it in the 128bit video card box and return it to the store in which you bought it from. Not only are you getting you
money back, but you are getting a PHREE video card worth $300.
Possible outcomes:
1. They ask you, "Hey what are you trying to pull here?"
Your response, "What do you mean?"
"Well sir, it looks to me like you are trying to cheat us out here!" "What, what the fuck, hey listen bitch! I am just
trying to get my motherfucking money back. Your goddamned video card isn't worth shit. The guy who bought it before
me must have done it." "Uhhh ok sir here's your money, sorry this happened."
2. "Here you go sir, just fill these papers out and I'll give you a refund."
3. "Well sorry sir, We can exchange it for you, or give you in-store credit." (In this case you can get even more shit
and return it later!)
I personally have done the first and second one many times. Hell, half of my computer I got for PHREE!! :) This
includes a Super VGA card, a 14.4k Baud modem (I didn't like it so I sold it for $50 and phree exchanged a USR 28.8k
modem), a mouse and a shitload of software. See bullshiting can be fun and profitable, ya just have to get good at it and
keep a straight face.
P.L.A.n Carefully!!!
Adult GIFs on Roy's Place - RedBoxChiliPepper:
Roy's Place, one of the two main PLA support boards has an adult GIF section that was looking rather bare so me &
Zak (Big Roy) decided to spice up the GIF descriptions there a bit. So over the next few months we added descriptions to
the adult GIFs and people are taking them seriously too, thinking that our bogus descriptions are for real. So here's a
listing of the current adult GIFs on Roy's Place (618-797-2339) as of 5/11/95. Hopefully these will be somewhat
entertaining to you... (By the way, I edited out the blank ones so the numbers on the left are a little screwy.)
Real Cool Disgusting Pics - #2, 248 files.
1º!LEZ-1 .GIFº 161kºA picture of Dappy from the Clip Joint.
2º!LEZ-2 .GIFº 83kºDappy banging her dog, Cumhead.
5º#10BOOBS.GIFº 173kºA Plumpers lady with 10 boobs coming out her ass.
6º150ZZZ#4.GIFº 141kºDeter eating poo poo
7º16INCH-6.GIFº 188kºPicture of Alex Carbon
8º17TEEN .GIFº 87kºHurry up and go away
9º1CORN .GIFº 146kºA woman playing with her food.
10º2-MUCH .GIFº 117kºAmeritech Corporate Security Group Photo
11º3DEB020 .GIFº 45kºI'll bring my bookbag and some orange juice!
12º4-PLAY-G.GIFº 127kºRoy & his gerbil having foreplay
13º4FINGERS.GIFº 40kºA girl with four fingers up her nose
14º4FIST2 .GIFº 107kºfour fists up her nose
15º55DD .GIFº 131kºA Troy, IL police officer wacking off in his car.
16ºADRIENE .GIFº 120kºMy ex-girlfriend, Adriene
17ºAFTER .GIFº 53kºRoy after he molested 28 gerbils
18ºALYSSA .GIFº 106kºJim Bayless laying spread eagle by the Ameritech building
19ºAMY05 .GIFº 192kºSome girl in the street that we mollested.
14ºANNIE3 .GIFº 45kºJerry Falwell getting some.
16ºARIEL01_.GIFº 196kºJaysen Phillips shiting on his car
17ºARIEL02_.GIFº 100kºDeter
18ºARIEL03_.GIFº 114kºI'm alex carbon and i ain't got any calling card
19ºARIEL04_.GIFº 100kºhuman feces and urine
20ºARIEL05_.GIFº 140kºt.p. for my bungholeo
1ºARIEL06_.GIFº 131kºa gallon of milk
2ºARIEL07_.GIFº 127kºAn exploding toilet.
3ºARIEL08_.GIFº 135kºmy job application for quiktrip
4ºARIEL_B .GIFº 91kºDeter
6ºASIA_P00.GIFº 133kºGod molested my children.
9ºAUSTIN .GIFº 139kºThe Bell orgy at HoHoCon in Austin, Texas
11ºB-BUSTY2.GIFº 130kºDeter
12ºBAMY-009.GIFº 73kºA chick sucking on her own big toes
14ºBARBIE .GIFº 195kºMy little 3-year old sister, Barbie.
15ºBASINGER.GIFº 87kºKim Basinger eating a peanut butter & jelly sandwich
16ºBATH .GIFº 33kºRobert E Allen (pres. of AT&T) taking a bubble bath.
17ºBATTERUP.GIFº 32kºRyan Grant hitting his 7-eleven manager with a bat.
18ºBELL .GIFº 116kºVarious Bell employees naked & playing with themselves
19ºBELLE .GIFº 58kºDeter
20ºBELLE01 .GIFº 121kºa mustard cutting factory
1ºBELLE02 .GIFº 137kºshit
2ºBELLE03 .GIFº 130kºThe PLA terrorizing a lineman
3ºBELLE04 .GIFº 157kºthe PLA being frightening
4ºBELLE05 .GIFº 126kºThe PLA taking over the 618 area code
5ºBELLE06 .GIFº 147kºThe PLA looting a Best Buy
6ºBELLE_A .GIFº 87kºBrent Deterding
7ºBEV .GIFº 125kºThe DOC from STNG!
8ºBIGMAM10.GIFº 147kºJim Bakker screwing Tammy's pet gerbil.
9ºBIGNIPS .GIFº 102kºDanny Colwell showing off his big nipples
10ºBLAIR1 .GIFº 151kºPicture of Francis G. Blair elementary school
11ºBLAIRTIT.GIFº 71kºAT&T family picnic being bombed by the PLA
12ºBLONDE29.GIFº 30kºDeter in drag
13ºBREETWNS.GIFº 131kºThe Jerky Boys having sex together.
14ºBRIANNA4.GIFº 287kºBundy girl
15ºBRUN-11 .GIFº 229kºDeter beating off to a copy of Plumpers
16ºBUNNY .GIFº 81kºDeter raping a cute bunny
17ºBUSTY-1 .GIFº 69kºDeter touching his huge boobies
18ºBUSTY9 .GIFº 71kºTodd Ahlers kicking his dog in the Boobies
19ºBUSTY_31.GIFº 243kºSylvia thompson with lung cancer
20ºBUSTY_33.GIFº 202kºA dancing bowl of snot
1ºBUSTY_34.GIFº 145kº*burp*
2ºBUSTY_35.GIFº 137kºCookies are good
3ºBUTTHOLE.GIFº 183kºApple pie on toast
4ºCANDY03 .GIFº 101kºRoy waving his private parts around a little girl.
5ºCANDY04 .GIFº 110kºRoy offering candy to a gerbil if he'll get in his car
6ºCASS3 .GIFº 162kºJason Crews nude, taping himself to the ceiling
7ºCC-NOTOP.GIFº 175kºA naked Cactus
29ºCHRISTY .GIFº 51kºChristy Brinkley vaccuming the carpet.
10ºCOEDS2 .GIFº 24kºA picture of RedBoxChiliPepper with 2 coeds
11ºCOEDS3 .GIFº 30kºA picture of RedBoxChiliPepper with 3 coeds
12ºCOEDS4 .GIFº 29kºA picture of RedBoxChiliPepper with 4 coeds
13ºCOEDS5 .GIFº 31kºA picture of RedBoxChiliPepper with 5 coeds
14ºCOEDS6 .GIFº 33kºA picture of RedBoxChiliPepper with 6 coeds & a gerbil
15ºCOURTNEY.GIFº 139kºCourtney Love shooting Kirk in the head.
16ºDENISE14.GIFº 57kºA girl named Denise watching a Gerbil
17ºDENISE16.GIFº 42kºDenise running amok with a stick
18ºDEY-SUSA.GIFº 58kºDr. Seuss masturbating.
20ºDONA .GIFº 31kºDonna scanning cordless Phones
2ºEJ1 .GIFº 7kºDanny Colwell shoving a large coke up his ass
3ºFAMILY-2.GIFº 131kºDeters parents screwing him
7ºFLADY001.GIFº 67kºMrs. Hagar flying down the stairs, late for work!
8ºFLADY002.GIFº 69kºDeter doing filthy things with a pack of condoms
11ºGASPUMP .GIFº 162kºDeter pumping gas in the ass
12ºGESS101E.GIFº 71kºA gerbil working on the Telco ESS
13ºGFB051 .GIFº 78kºTodd Ahlers molesting a kittycat
20ºGL#40PSL.GIFº 117kºRoy's Place, Telly speaking
1ºGL07-PSL.GIFº 113kºSteve, manager of Am\Pm, next to the slurpee machine
16ºGUESS9 .GIFº 206kºAll asian gifs for pizza slut
18ºHOTDAY .GIFº 232kºthe PLA being bad in a Radio Shack
19ºHOTTEST2.GIFº 114kºA picture of the sun
20ºHOTTEST4.GIFº 135kºSome Naked picture
3ºJENNYBBS.GIFº 87kºMy hot baby jenny
15ºKATYA .GIFº 90kºKatya sitting on the couch eating Pringles chips
16ºKATYA4 .GIFº 67kºErik B. touching hisself where it doesn't feel right
12ºLOTYA .GIFº 24kºTodd Ahlers stimulating himself with a phone cord.
10ºMARKIE .GIFº 42kºMarkie Mark & Homey G Roy getting it on
11ºMATTIE .GIFº 24kºMattie vaccuming the living room.
12ºMNRVASEX.GIFº 61kºUng
14ºMOORE02 .GIFº 79kºMary Tyler Moore eating broccli.
15ºMPOST .GIFº 50kºJason Crews standing on a post, eating denture table
19ºORIENT3 .GIFº 37kºTodd Ahlers smearing himself with Egg Foo Young
20ºORIENT4 .GIFº 30kºLee Willie, manager of granite city radio shack
1ºORIENT7 .GIFº 23kºUng
2ºPASSION1.GIFº 55kºBob passionately touching his farm animals.
3ºPASSION2.GIFº 58kºBob's farm animals passionately touching each other.
4ºPASSION3.GIFº 55kºHe kicked my fucking ass al over the store
10ºPAULINAN.GIFº 79kºSol rosenberg and Frank Rizzo at the AT&T building
11ºPEARLS .GIFº 83kºA naked pic of my dog.
12ºPIGTAIL7.GIFº 126kºA naked pigtail
15ºPUSSY .GIFº 39kºMy kitty cat shivering after being out in the rain.
18ºSLAMMIN .GIFº 99kºWoohoo! I'm naked
19ºSN1 .GIFº 165kºThe Bolivian Navy on Manuvers
20ºSOAPY .GIFº 26kºA picture of an Oregon Relay Operator taking a bath
2ºSUZIEQ .GIFº 50kºMartini
12ºTEENS3 .GIFº 137kºChris & Ryan taking a bubble bath together
13ºTEENS4 .GIFº 124kºMY NAME IS ROY
14ºTONYA3 .GIFº 135kºChris & Ryan swinging fruity together
15ºTOWERS50.GIFº 79kºThe world trade center
16ºTRACY .GIFº 56kºDeter and Danny Colwell doing bad things with popsic
17ºUNDIES .GIFº 64kºMy underwear on the airport carosel
18ºVANNA-W .GIFº 38kºVanna White doing her taxes.
19ºVLR5 .GIFº 59kºDeter stroking a stereo
20ºVPBATH .GIFº 89kºJamie and her remote control socks
1ºWARNRCHY.GIFº 61kºYeah
3ºWET .GIFº 73kºA picture of a garden hose.
4ºWHOME1 .GIFº 118kºThe PLA blowing up the Ameritech building
5ºWORK .GIFº 29kºArtie, the strongest man in the world
6ºWORKOUT .GIFº 96kºRedBoxChiliPepper raping an MCI operator
7ºXALADDIN.GIFº 195kºUh huh
8ºXMAS2 .GIFº 30kºRBCP's Christmas photo '94.
9ºZENA1 .GIFº 151kºThe PLA kidnapping Jim Bayless
4ºDENISE14.GIFº 57kºA girl named Denise watching a Gerbil
5ºDENISE16.GIFº 42kºDenise running amok with a stick
6ºDEY-SUSA.GIFº 58kºChris Tomkinson watching buffy the vampire slayer
7ºDONA .GIFº 31kºDonna scanning cordless Phones
8ºEJ1 .GIFº 7kºKith kanan dancing the jig
9ºFLADY001.GIFº 67kºNancy Reagan giving chris the ride of his life
10ºFLADY002.GIFº 69kºRonald Reagan giving chris the ride of his life
11ºGESS101E.GIFº 71kºA gerbil working on the Telco ESS
12ºGFB051 .GIFº 78kºTodd Ahlers molesting a kittycat
13ºGL#40PSL.GIFº 117kºRoy's Place, Telly speaking
15ºHOTTEST2.GIFº 114kºA picture of the sun
18ºKATYA .GIFº 90kºKatya sitting on the couch eating Pringles chips
20ºKRAFT75 .GIFº 184kºA GIF of a plate of Kraft American Cheese
1ºLORETTA .GIFº 168kºHave you seen my dentures?
5ºMONKEY .GIFº 46kºA monkey & a gerbil having sex
6ºMOORE02 .GIFº 79kºMary Tyler Moore eating broccli.
7ºMPOST .GIFº 50kºJason Crews standing on a post, eating denture tablets
8ºORIENT3 .GIFº 37kºTodd Ahlers smearing himself with Egg Foo Young
9ºORIENT4 .GIFº 30kºPork fried Rice
10ºORIENT7 .GIFº 23kºsoy sauce
11ºPASSION1.GIFº 55kºChris TOmkinson passionately touching his armpit
12ºPASSION2.GIFº 58kºChris Tomkinson passionately touching his mom.
13ºPASSION3.GIFº 55kºChris Tomkinson losing his lunch in the toilet
14ºPAULINAN.GIFº 79kºMr. Pauli Nan drowning in oatmeal
15ºPEARLS .GIFº 83kºA naked pic of my dog.
16ºPUSSY .GIFº 39kºA picture of Chris Tomkinson's shaved pussy
17ºSOAPY .GIFº 26kºA picture of an Oregon Relay Operator taking a bath
18ºSUZIEQ .GIFº 50kºRBCP's mom tied up with a lamp cord
19ºTRACY .GIFº 56kºTracy hacking on the internet
20ºVANNA-W .GIFº 38kºVanna White doing her taxes.
1ºVLR5 .GIFº 59kºRyan Grant stroking a stereo
2ºVPBATH .GIFº 89kºJamie had her remote control socks
3ºWET .GIFº 73kºA picture of a garden hose.
4ºWHOME1 .GIFº 118kºMr. Beef Head
5ºWORK .GIFº 29kºArtie, the strongest man in the world
6ºWORKOUT .GIFº 96kºRedBoxChiliPepper raping an MCI operator
7ºXMAS2 .GIFº 30kºRBCP's Christmas photo '94.
8ºZENA1 .GIFº 151kºChris Tomkinson's dad
And that's all. Most of it isn't understandable because they deal with private jokes so I'll try to enlighten those who
really care. Jim Bayless is an Ameritech employee, Chris Tomkinson is an back stabbing kind of old friend, Danny Colwell
is a thieving little shit, Ryan Grant is Chris Tomkinson's roommate and possible lover in college, Roy is Roy, Todd Ahlers
is a person who has the misfortune to own a telephone and Jason Crews is an uptight little nobody who always forgets to
bring the milk in, Brent Deterding (Deter) is a little lame-o kid who everyone likes to laugh at alot and gets beat up in
school all the time and tries to use calling cards straight from his home.
---Phone Losers Of America Headline News---
"Two Phone Company Employees Charged With Assault" - associated press
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Two employees of Southwestern Bell are facing up to three years in prison and fines of up to
$5000 each for assaulting a local citizen. Roy Coldwell, 29 and Darin McCall, 35, both telephone linemen for
Southwestern Bell both claim that a local resident had opened up one of their trucks while they were sitting inside on a
lunch break, grabbed a Bell hat and ran.
Coldwell, once a U.S. Olympic marathon winner soon caught up to the resident and forced him to the ground,
knocking the Bell hat out of his hands and began to beat the resident to a bloody pulp with his lineman's handset. McCall
then arrived on the scene, kicking the victim with his Bell issued steel toed boots. Luckily, the event occurred in front of
Rhonda's Donut Shop and Officer O'Mally was able to stop the employees.
Both Coldwell and McCall are being held in the Oklahoma county jail on $25,000 bond. The victim, who's name is
not yet being released, is in stable condition and recovering at the OKCITY hospital. It is rumored that he is a member of
Poi. <FakE NeWs>
Colleen Card found a pretty interesting article in the local paper. It will probably make you think twice about trying
certain things described in PLA003.
VENTURA, CA - A man furious over a failed land deal took it out on the property owner by having 90,000 magazines
sent to her address.
"I got every known magazine on the face of the Earth," lawyer Theresa McConville said after Reynaldo Fong was
sentenced Tuesday. Fong got a year in jail for forging her name on subscription forms.
"He could have won a Nobel prize if he would have put as much energy into his job as he did with me, " said
McConville of Camarillo, who got the unsolicited magazines over the past 13 years.
Fong, 45, of Santa Paula is an anesthesiologist from the Philippines who has been in the United States illegally since
his visa expired in 1980.
According to a probation report, Fong said he had a vendetta against McConville because she rejected his bid for land
she was selling.
RALIEGH, NC - Kevin Mitnick, recently captured for illegal computer hacking, has possibly added a few more years
to his possible sentence by pulling yet another stunt from his prison cell. The vetran computer hacker was denied all
access to a public prison phone for fear that he would cause even more trouble but what authorities apparently forgot to do
a full body cavity search on Mitnick.
Two weeks after being sent to prison, Mitnick remember hiding a cellular phone in his butt cheeks. After a little
digging around he was able to locate the phone and made several calls to various long distance companies, shutting down
phone service for much of the Eastern United States and ordering flowers for Lenny DeCicco, his old partner in crime.
Mitnick was unavailble for comment. <faKe NewS>
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-370-4680 PLA Voicemail System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET - directory pub\deadkat\incoming\PLA (Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
Issue #031
Acidflux's Story Time Hour
Completed On May 16, 1995
Once upon a time (around March I think) a local sysop challenged me to crack his friend's password on the local high
school (Monte Vista, monte.mvhs.srvusd.k12.ca.us, running Ultrix v4.1). So I get in, get root (sysop access), and look at the
password file. Unix passwords are scrambled with a one-way encryption method. Say your password is "fuckchop".
It's stored in the password file as "hdVcOLOsIcvLE". When you login to a unix system instead of decrypting the
password it encrypts what you type in and matches it with the stored encrypted password. So to crack passwords you need
a program such as CrackerJack that will go through a long list of words (a password dictionary). I couldn't crack the guy's
password so I deleted his account and told the local sysop there never was one (situation averted). So I make a few
accounts, Bluesman gets on the system and we start looking through people's mail (this is where that "Chia Pet" letter
from Delirium Issue #4 came from) when suddenly a root account (chatter) starts paging me. Here's a log of the ntalk
conversation with "Anirvan Chatterjee" (It's been formatted for the sake of reading):
[Connection established]
Me: May I help you?
An: chan? Elizabeth?
Me: Yes?
Me: Have we met?
An: This is Anirvan, I believe...
Me: Anirvan! How are you?
An: Oh fine...do you see me listed as "root"?
Me: Yes, why?
An: oh...I was doing some routine syadmin stuff, when I saw you logged in...
Me: 10:00pm on a friday night eh?
An: what else is there to do on a friday night?!
Me: Yeah, I guess you're right.
An: well, i have friends online i talk to, and then tere's other fun stuff to do...
Me: Yeah, I'm new to this, you know how that is.
An: of course...
An: where are you coming in from?
An: an online service? a commercial carrier?
An: ccnet's probab;ly t
Me: Yeah, I have an account on there, why?
An: where? I mean, what's your email address?
An: there...
Me: Scall@ccnet.com
An: coolness...
An: Geez....hate how those lines keep overlapping (type control-L t
Me: Yeah... say, doesn't it bother you in the slightest I have root?
An: say what?
An: you have root?
An: please explain..
Me: Well, I'm going to format your winchesters.
Me: Just business, nothing personal.
An: errr...who is this?
Me: Hehe, I'm just kidding! Internet humor.
An: errr, yes.
An: Charlie?
Me: What? This is Liz.
An: I'm sure.
Me: y0ur c0mput3r h4s b33n b0rd3d by th 3l33t3st 0f th3 3l33t!!@#$!!
An: that's so nice to know.
Me: r3sist3nc3 iz futil3!!
An: yay.
An: I'm so impressed.
Me: Wanna see a neat trick?
An: not really, so Charlie,
[Connection closing. Exiting]
# removeuser chatter
Enter login name for user to be removed: chatter
This is what the entry in /etc/passwd looks like:
chatter:.bplovnCwERio:337:15:Anirvan Chatterjee,CPR2,(510)837-7507,
:/u/students/chatter:/bin/csh
Is this the entry you wish to delete? y
Working ...
User chatter removed.
Do you want to remove chatter's home directory,
all subdirectories and files (y/n)? y
You should have backed up chatter's files if you do not wish to lose them.
Are you sure that you want to remove chatter's files (y/n)? y
Deleting /u/students/chatter
.oOo.
Then I kill all his processes and change the root password. Again, situation averted. 10 minutes later he unmounts the
drives. The next morning he tells the computer lab who did it ("Acidflux, Bluesman and Deadlocke [aka Silicon [)ragon]"...
like I said, I made a few accounts while I was on) and that we hacked in to use thier link to the Lawerence Livermore Labs
(local nuclear facility... anyone read The Cuckoo's Egg?). On top of that Bluesman logged in from a New York system so
Anirvan starts talking like MOD was after his ass (This was in the California Bay Area BTW). That afternoon Anirvan gets
a call from a Monte Vista freshman named
Brett Nelson posing as _me_. He says "This is Acidflux, you will recieve a call at 9pm tonight" along w/ some veiled
threats and whatnot. They recognized his voice and kicked him out of school (I think this story has a moral in it
somewhere). A couple months later the system is back up and I find this article on Anirvan's Webpage
(http://192.188.37.4/~anirvan):
"Beyond Wargames"
by Anirvan Chatterjee (`95)
Net historians record the sudden increase in destructive net activities after the release of Wargames (the seminal
cracker-as-hero movie, the tale of an antisocial nerdy 80s teen equipped with a modem who stumbles onto the secrets of a
corrupt military establishment (see also, Sneakers)). Those were the days when cracker and darkside hackers were truly
dangerous only to government and corporate America.
Well, think again. While corporate network security has increased severalfold since then, the massive growth rate of
the Internet won't be able to extend the same degree of protection to newcomers unable to obtain the best protection
money can buy. I speak from experience, having gone through two such cases recently, both very close to home.
Everybody probably knows about the cracker intrusion into Monte Vista's computer network. (You don't? The
Reader's Digest Condensed Book editionI was online at Monte Vista from home on a Friday night when I saw someone
else, a friend of mine, logged in too. I tried to "talk" to her online, but she didn't respond. So I was doing some routine
system maintenance, when I saw a strange call to talk from someone logged in as the system operator--but I was the
system operator. Oh well, I ignored it, until my friend finally agreed to talk to me.
She seemed rather confused, didn't understand who I was. I tried asking her what she was planning to do this
weekend. Suddenly, she burst into a rant along the lines of "I am elite! I broke into your system! Hahaha!" By this time,
I'd realized that "she" was somebody who had broken in under that account, and broken into the system operator's
account. We did some online jousting, (by now I had Charlie Hsu, speaking voice, advising me on the fax line) until I
managed to remotely shut down the Monte Vista network, but only to find that he'd deleted my account, my email, my
projects, my web page--everything. Talk about playing the martyr for my system. (Yes, yes, the proper authorities have
been contacted, and they're working hard, trying to catch the evildoers.) Anyway, there's my story. Now you can laugh at
it.)
But after all that, who to blame? The cracker, certainly, but also the cluelessness of the newbie system administrators
(including yours truly) who just didn't know enough to implement current and effective security measures. That, and
insecure usage habits on the part of so many equally clueless users ignoring even the most simple warnings about
password security (a computer network is only as strong as its weakest password). As long as the Internet keeps expanding
at such furious rates and the age, maturity, education, training, and all-around cluefulness of the average user keeps
declining, this will keep growing as an issue.
Net.access is getting easier and easier to obtain, and security measures from many established, otherwise clueful
net.folks are being correspondingly toned down to fit the minimal effort/maximum personal gain philosophy of many
coming online for the first time (the same type of people who will break every point of net.courtesy to get information,
rather than checking documentation, FAQs (Frequently Asked (and Answered) Question lists), or contacting their local
system administrator). (For example, Microsoft Bob's password protection will automatically let you change it if you guess
incorrectly three times in a row--even a four-year-old could get past that kind of protection!)
I found out very recently that my Internet carrier's security could be easily compromised, not online, but through
what crackers call "social engineering"--by breaking in through their customer support. January 31, someone posing as the
cracker who broke into Monte Vista called my house and left me a voice message instructing me to wait for a call at 9:00
p.m. if I wanted to recover my password. I tried dialing into my account, and found my password to be invalid--someone
had changed it!
Of course, I didn't believe that the caller was who he claimed to be for a second--he had pronounced my name
correctly. Nobody ever pronounces my name correctly after having only seen the spelling, so I knew it had to be someone
who knew me. And who had something against me. I listened to the message again (the idiot had done me a huge favor by
leaving a long snippet of his voice digitally recorded for me to listen to again and again) when I realized who it was--an
annoying Monte Vistan I'd busted and kicked off the Monte Vista network a few months ago, for some truly unsavory
activities he'd gotten into, all the system rules he'd violated. I contacted my Internet carrier's support staff, and hooked up
with a rather clueful administrator, who traced the breakin. I was informed that someone calling in from the local dial-in
node had accessed my account (when I had been hours away from the nearest modem), and deleted all the files in it.
Damn! Damn! Damn!
As we retraced the cracker's steps, we found that the [please substitute a handful of your favorite explicit pejoratives
here] had unsuccessfully tried to access my account at 11:00 a.m. (why wasn't he at school during 4th period? note
network knowledge has little correlation with common sense, intelligence, or academic achievement), then spoke to
someone on the support staff between then and 1:00 p.m., convincing them that he was me. Then the "helpful" support
staff changed my password for "me," as soon as the intruder was able to pronounce my name correctly, and give them my
phone number and address. Once he had BS'ed his way past their safeguards, he then asked them to change "his"
password for him, as he had "forgotten" it.
Devious little [choose your own again], eh? Then a little before 1:00 p.m., and again at 1:40, p.m. he logged in under
my account, with the new (now changed) password. He went through all my files. Then he deleted everything: my saved
mail, my notes, my projects, my backups.
And as if that wasn't enough, he then proceeded to browse through through my email. By this time in the
conversation with the tech admin, I was seething. Luckily for me, the guy was able to restore most of my files and mail
from system backups made the Friday before.
So I didn't lose too much, but that's beside the point. I felt so violated. Nobody should be able to go through my email
and files, reading and deleting at will, invading my privacy; there's a world of difference between system operators doing
routine checks, and intruders breaking in as part of some sick revenge fantasy. So I registered several "secure" codewords
with the support staff (my mother's maiden name, etc.) that they would have to get from anyone calling for support under
my name. And that was that.
Yes, yes, the cracker, a (now "former"?) Monte Vista student, has been caught and arrested, for his numerous ugly
computer-related crimes (physical theft of computer equipment is a rather silly idea if you want to stay on the good side of
the law), and I have the oddest feeling I may have seen the last of him. But it's not the [yet another pejorative here] himself
I'm so concerned about, as much as the trend he's running on. Online interaction has become so easy and widespread that
it seems as if anybody with something against you could take action against you. And the more business that we conduct
online, the more dangerous it is (I've purchased several items directly on the Internet over the course of the last year,
using unencrypted credit card numbers--dangerous, I know.) From mailbombings and anonymous flames, canceled
postings, forged mail or postings, to outright electronic intrusion, almost anything is possible.
Take Kevin Mitnick, the recently captured master cracker who infiltrated sites in the hundreds, from the accounting
records of Netcom (the nation's largest Internet Service Provider, and very possibly the least-liked (for its anarchic
administration and dumbed-down service)) to the Well, arguably the coolest and most respected Service Provider in
America, the home of the Net's "cultural elite" (synonymous with its technical elite). News reports say his breakins
weren't "personal." God help anybody who pissed him off. Interestingly enough, at least three movies about the Internet
are now filming. One of these is The Net, about someone who's very identity is tampered with when police, credit, and
other identity records are all altered. As technically improbable as the plot is, the concept is definitely sound (recall the
case of the vengeful phone phreaker who rerouted his parole officer's home phone to a (900) sex number). This stuff
doesn't just happen to other people. Let the netizen beware. Tough times lie ahead.
An aside: Don't let this article scare you into not getting online. Accessing the Internet is a fabulous experience, and
not akin to war as my words might lead you to believe; it just requires some common sense. As long as you have your wits
about you, and aren't afraid to turn to manuals or your friendly neighborhood system administrator for help, you'll be OK.
Interested in getting online? Do ask me, or someone else with online experience for help. I love helping people, but I'd
much rather be able to help someone before s/he actuallycommits her time and money to problematic, expensive
commercial networks.
.oOo.
Then I find this followup letter:
Dear Geek-meister:
Enjoyed your latest issue. A couple of philosophical and technical notes you may wish to ponder:
(1) Re: Anirvan's tome on Internet security, There's a consistent assumption that the crackers he describes in the
article are male. How did the author know? Did "he" write about hunting giraffes? Use locker room humor (actually, I've
heard enough qualifying material from females during stints at MV to dispel any such assumption)? How many readers
just read along and assumed, along with the author, that the "perp" wears pants (oops), make that Jockeys (nope) boxers?
(yikes), buttons left over right (okay, I think).
My purpose here is not to pick on AC--indeed, I think his energy, intellectual curiosity and considerable erudition in
publishing Paradox are really laudable. I just think we should all ferret out, consider and overcome creeping sexism
wherever we find it.
.oOo.
Sorry if this has been more self-glorifying than informative but after seeing Anirvan's side of the story I had to type
this up. I'm going to go have a coke and a smile so I'm ending the story here. Watch out for that creeping sexism.
-Acidflux
[Enclosed is a GIF of Anirvan that Acidflux uploaded to me so you all can see what the poor victim looked like. For
those of you who haven't, read the Delirium Mags! Available at the PLA Texas Line. -RedBoxChiliPepper]
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-370-4680 PLA Voicemail System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET - directory pub\deadkat\incoming\PLA (Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
Issue #032
Completed On June 21, 1995
Introduction - RedBoxChiliPepper:
Dammit, call the DefCon Voice Bridge! It's purdy neat sometimes but really dead since the toll free phone number
went down. Give it a call so you can go crazy tonin' in our ears. 801-855-3326. Free!
Not a whole lot has happened since the last issue, not that anything ever really does. This issue, like the others, will be
small, meaningless and as usual, a total waste of hard drive space. I was going to list all of the Customer Name & Location
numbers in the United States in this issue but my eighty hour work week prevented me from getting anything done so
instead I wrote some simple instructions to show you how to get the damned numbers yourself. Besides, in the middle of
playing with the CN/Ls I discovered FACS (otherwise known as NOC, I think) and that's a hell of a lot more interesting
anyways. I typed out a few news articles from the local paper that I thought were interesting, no fake news this time, sorry.
I once again proved how stupid Circle K employees are (to the DefCon Voice Bridge audience) by convincing one of the
night shift employees about a virus in their credit card system. Unfortunately I didn't tape it, so here's a brief, edited
transcript from what I can remember:
LR: Circle K, this is Larry.
ME: Hi, this is John from Visa, did you get our fax concerning the virus?
LR: Uhhhh, no we don't have a fax machine here.
ME: Hmmmmmm, that's probably why you didn't get the fax. Well, did your manager tell you what to do about the
virus?
LR: (Meanwhile he's yelling at some kids and telling them that they're not allowed in the store...) I'm sorry about that,
typical night at Circle K! No, I don't know what you're talking about.
ME: Okay, let me explain. There's a major virus going through the Visa/Master card network and you need to
disconnect your credit card machine before the virus gets to you. So far it hasn't got to Corpus Christi but you need to
unhook your machine before it gets to you.
(After a bit more convincing...)
LR: Okay, so you want me to unhook the credit card machine from the phone?
ME: Yes, you have to unhook the phone lines, serial cable and power cable from the POS. And you have to take the
machine and set it far away from the phone lines just to make sure because the virus is airborn. (I had watched the movie
"Outbreak" the day before...)
It ended up with him finally disconnecting the machine and setting it on the opposite counter next to the sink, away
from the phone lines. The next morning we called his manager and asked, "You don't base your hiring decisions on their
intelligence, eh?" And ended up getting hung up on. If you'd like to say, "hi" to Larry the Night Man, he works at the Circle
K on Staples in Corpus C, TX.
I also convinced an AM/PM to flip a certain switch on his Arcomatic (tm) that shut off his only register during a rush
of customers until his manager could come to the store and reset the computer. You may be asking yourself, "What exactly
are you trying to accomplish, RedBoxChiliPepper?" Well, if you figure out an answer to that question, please e-mail me
with an answer ASAP.
Be sure to shoplift the July 1995 Super Special of MAD Magazine at a news stand near you. Besides the collector O.J.
Simpson pog stickers they have, there's a movie spoof of War Games called "Warped Games." Not the best movie spoof
they've ever done but hey, it's War Games, dammit. Professor Falken wears a pair of fake glasses/nose/mustauch for his
"new identity" and the pheds wear jackets that have "I've got my FBI on you!" printed on the backs.
In a few weeks I'm going to be releasing a file called PLA95SUM.ZIP which is going to be a large telephone directory
containing pay phones, voice mails, phone company newslines, data lines, businesses, phone company access numbers
and other interesting numbers to call. It started out from PLA007.TXT but I took out the disconnected and changed
numbers and added in a lot of new numbers. Still, it's lacking in size and I need a LOT of new numbers to put in there.
This fone directory is going to be edited and updated quarterly so please send me your obscure numbers for me to publish
and I'll try and get 'em in the first release. Now, I bring you Lokust...
RiGHT BRiGADE - by Lokust (May 18, 1995):
This text file has one purpose: To educate the populace on some of today's fallacies of the software "piracy" situation.
In today's world, there is increasing security on computer networks, servers, and systems in general, but in specific,
on computer software. Talk to a computer teacher and most likely they will tell you about the "evils of software piracy."
You, being a dealer / end user of warez, aka "pirated" software, are meant to be guilty about the distribution and use of
unauthorized copies of this software. This however, is not valid.
I consider myself a reasonably moral person, as well as a Christian. But this does not stop me from "pirating"
software. That is because it is not "piracy". This is a term created by the federal government in the early 1980's as a way
to spread negative propaganda.
Laws and the enforcement of laws against software "piracy" began in 1983, with the "Computer Act of 1983".
Unfortunately however, this bill made a common mistake made by the government and our law makers- they made it
illegal too late. It is a fair comparison to compare the C.A. of 1983 with the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the
1920's. Software "piracy" had already become the norm in the U.S. and around the world. But in an effort to look worldlyminded and sophisticated, the nation's law makers decided this bill could make them popular. This did not happen. I
don't know who wrote the bill, but I heard they lost their next election.
But there is another problem with the legislation passed in the US in the early 80's and the bills passed later in the
respective 50 states. They assume that the copying of software causes damage to the software owner. They assumed that
software owners cared about the monetary value of software. But end users rarely re-sell software, and we all know that
the value of software is what we think about it. If I like a game, such as Interplay's Descent, and I have an illegal copy, but
I think its worth the $50, I would, (if I had the $$) go buy it to support the authors. This does not happen in my case
because I am very poor ( I had to steal my 486 fer Christ's sake, but that's a yarn for RB-002!). However I don't believe it
is fair to pay $50 for some game, and found out its worth the disks it was sold on! This is an unreasonable obligation of
the end user. If you were going to buy a car, you'd take it for a test drive first, right?! The same with software. I think if
you are going to get a game, you should try it out before you have to dish out your (or your parents') hard earned money!
But's there another side. What of the person, such as myself, who has a limited income and can't afford to buy to
support games' authors? Simple. This person is to be supported by couriers and groups. It is unfair to deny a person
enjoyment of his/her computer just because he/she is poor. That is why software "piracy" should be renamed. We are not
pirates. This is software "liberation". And we are software liberators. Everyone at some point, the government included,
has pirated some software. The laws are so rigid, its impossible not to. The cost required to maintain the FBI are
enormous- and a fair amount of this comes from the costs of the investigation and prosecution of the computer crimes
division. The government is wasting our hard-earned tax dollars on prosecuting software liberators.
But why the fragmented system of warez groups, couriers, etc. that now swarm the U.S.? The seemingly strange
system of groups that exist justt produce software to the public is exceedingly simple if you view it from the angle of
politics. A Communist system to warez might be to unite all the groups under one, which might work, but the internal
strife would be terrible, and complacency and lack of competition would make the quality decline. An Anarchist system to
warez would have each BBS, and each person personally producing their own warez. This would mean tons of
competition, but no organization. Warez would be localized. Therefore, our Capitalist system to warez is necessary. The
high competition of the groups produces the best warez in the world, and the structure provides organization to make the
warez universal.
Had to get this stuph off my mind. But a little bout me and my strange ideas. I'm 16, I go to a Catholic high school,
although I'm an Episcopalian. I consider myself a phone phreak, a robber, and a software liberator. I am a staunch
Republican who supports the congress on all issues except these electronic act bills. I am in several warez groups and I
know the feeling you get when you buy something that just wasn't worth it. Anywayz, So I started the RiGHT BRiGADE as
a means of voicing my opinions of important topics such as this. I run a board, but because of rising security, I don't give
out the #.
I can be reached at magneto@ixc.ixc.net, gc@cdsbbs.com, or on Wombat Communications 512.883.7543. On the
iRC, look for me under the name of Lokust or Locust. I am with ADR and SFD. Thanx for listening!
LOKi aka Lokust
[AC:512, Texas]
Customer Name & Address - by RBCP:
I recently started playing around a little with the CN/A numbers and compiled an extremely small list of them.
CN/A Listing For Phone Company Use:
214-744-9500 These two seem to cover the entire Southwestern Bell territory.
214-745-7505 They're fully automated, give as many numbers per call as you want and require a six digit pin number.
Only open 9-5, though.
612-663-1765 U.S. West. Covers western United States
217-789-8290 Ameritech. Covers Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.
I was kind of surprised at all the changes that have been made to CN/A since I last played with them. They no longer
give the address, just the number. And if the number is unlisted, forget it. They won't give it to you. You have to have your
"supervisor" call in with his/her code and get the unlisted numbers. In MY day... well anyway, I also found that in a few
states they have "public access" CN/A numbers where anyone can call in and get the name off of a number. These work
sort of like a 976 or 900 number where the person using it gets billed. (Unless they know a way around that, of course...)
In all the other CN/A files I've ever come accross I've yet to see one that shows you how to get the number yourself in
case the one listed were to go dead so if any of these numbers that I've listed go out of service or you'd just like to get some
CN/A numbers yourself for fun, here's how I go about doing it...
Call up any telephone company billing office. I usually go for U.S.West (1-800-244-1111) because they seem to be well
staffed and you don't have to wait forever to talk to an operator. But any billing office should work. It's probably easiest to
call the one for the area you want a CN/A number on. Once you get the operator, the conversation goes something like
this:
OP: "U.S.West, may I help you?"
ME: "Hi, could I have the CN/A number for that area?"
OP: "The what??"
ME: "The Customer Name & Address for the 602 (or whatever) area..."
OP: "Oh! Could I ask who's calling?"
ME: "This is Bill with Southwestern Bell in Dallas."
OP: "Well, if you work for Southwestern Bell, it should be in your handbook."
ME: "Yes, I have the number in my handbook along with my pin code but the number seems to have been
disconnected."
OP: "Okay, let me see here..."
Now that's a worst-case senerio. Usually, they'll just give it to you after you tell them that you work for Bell. Most of
the time they don't even know what a CN/A (or CN/L) is and you have to explain to them that they need to look in their
handbook. If they refuse to give it to you, say "Thank You", hang up and call back. I've only been denied a few times.
Also, you can ask them for a CN/A out of their area. They have a whole list of them in their manual. (The most
common use for them is to find out who owns numbers that myteriously appear on a calling card victim's bill.)
Getting A Code:
Usually, most CN/As will be totally useless unless you have a valid code to give the CN/A lady. Codes are a little
harder to get. It seems that for some reason the operators have all been warned never to give out their code to anyone. (I
can't imagine why, though...) Any phone company office should have a code so you can call any of them. Easiest would
probably be the billing offices. I noticed that they're rather gullible up in the North & South Dakota areas. So since I'm not
going to publish the codes, of course, here's how to get them yourself. Call the billing office and...
Conversation #1:
OP: "Billing Operator, dis is Kay, may I help you?"
ME: "Kay! Give me your password!"
OP: "Alright, it's U39017-4810"
ME: "Thank you!" (hang up)
Unfortunately, it's not always that easy. This method hasn't worked for me yet so here's another way:
Conversation #2:
OP: "Billing Operator, how may I spank you?"
ME: "CN/A, this is Larry. Can I help you?"
OP: "This is the billing operator."
ME: "Well, this is CN/A. Did you need something?"
OP: "No, you called here, my phone rang."
ME: "You didn't call the CN/A office?"
OP: "No...this is the billing office in Arizona."
ME: "Well, this is the CN/A office in Minnesota. Do you have a pin code?"
OP: "What do you need that for? I didn't call you."
ME: "Well, we need a valid pin for each call made to here and I need to report this problem to matenience." (babble
on...)
OP: "Oh, okay...well, it's xxxxxxx."
ME: "Okay, thank you. I'll report the problem. Sorry about the trouble and have a good day..."
Far fetched as it may seem, that's how I've gotten all of my pin codes. The operators are instructed not to give out
their pin code to anyone but the CN/A operators so they seem to think it's okay even though you called them.
A B C's (A Parody of Dr. Seuss's A B C's) - by Colleen Card:
Big A little a, what begins with a?
Andy, while in Austin, does an Alliance while he plays.
Big B little b, what begins with B?
Bloodaxe, backdoors, blast box, and blue beep.
Big C little c, what begins with c?
Captain Crunch cracking COSMOS
Big D little d, what begins with D?
C...c...C!
Draper drums out data on a digital dirictory.
Big E little e, what begins with e?
Engressio eats electronics e e E.
A, B, C, D, E, F...f
Fiber Optics fetters in a fluffy vest.
Big G little g G...G...g.
Gibota, Grey Areas, G.T.E.!
Big H little h. Hacking in the hay!
I went to Ho-HoCon! Hooray! Hooray!
Big I little i i...i...i.
The internet is intresting to the F.B.I.
Big J little j, what begins with J?
Jim Bayliss in Jell-O begins that way.
Big K little k, what begins with k?
Kevin stealing kr3dit k4rd$. Kat, ketchup, kay.
Big L little l, Liar, leapor, leach.
Sylvia's got lung cancer and lives in Lawrence with Pete.
Big M little m, what begins with m?
Mitnick isn't mobile on an M.C.I. sin.
Big N little n, NnN!
Neirdorf's on that network, where when it drops you hear a pin.
O is very useful, you use it when you say,
"An operator's in an office rubbing oil in an obscene way!"
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP! Phreaking phrom a phone booth. Passwords from
Pacific Bell. PBXing to a partyline and reading Phrack phrom jail.
Big Q little q, what begins with that?
The quick, queer, Quincy on his Q-modem in Tibet.
Big R little r, Robins rubbing Roy.
Random route ringing on a Radio Shack toy.
Big S little s, Sprint, Southwestern Bell.
Scanning signals at SummerCon 'til I got busted by Ma Bell.
T....T....t....t....
Ten teleconferences at telcoboxes by the trees.
Big U little u, U! U! U!
Unix, urine box, U.S. West underwear on my boobs!
Big V little v, voicemail, verify.
Virtual video with the volume too high.
W.W.W. Whombat, wire, WATS,
Willy wiped his woo woo on a pair of lambchops.
X is very stupid cause it rhymes with nothing else,
If you don't bathe regularly I'm sure that you will smell.
Big Y little y, yelling in my ear,
You have a very crappy phone so Go, GET OUT OF HERE!
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU
V W X... Y... and...
Big Z little z, what begins with Z?
A zillion zip codez in a zone, my Zeos and me!
Ode To Deter:
The following poem was written by Martini of 618. Most of it won't make any sense unless you personally know the
gimp it's about, Deter. (You might remember him from the GIF descriptions in PLA030.TXT.) Anyways, to clue you in,
Deter is a dork who used Chris Tomkinson's M.C.I. calling card (supplied by Zak) from his house a few times and when
Chris called him demanding to know why his number was on his bill, Deter spilled his guts. This was written on May 25,
1995 (probably while illegal substances were churning away at her brain...) Thanks, Martini!
Calling card, calling card,
used from my house,
My name is Deter,
and I look like a mouse.
I say I'm a prep,
but I know I'm a nerd.
My name is Deter,
and I talk like a bird.
Chris Tomkinson called me
he scared me too.
My name is Deter,
and I cried boo-hoo.
What do I do?
What do I say?
Is this Chris guy,
really gay?
I got the number,
from Roy Gerbil Zak
My name is Deter,
and that is that.
What happened to my board,
how'd I get call waiting?
My name is Deter,
me and Mitten's are mating.
What do I do now?
They all hate me.
My name is Deter,
rape me, Chris, rape me!
Why is this fire,
being thrown by Martini,
My name is Deter,
and I'm a big weenie.
What do I do?
No one's on my side.
My name is Deter,
and I need to hide.
---Phone Losers Of America Headline News---
Pricey Pay Phones - FCC to caller: Educate self:
WASHINGTON - Between appointments, Mary Viar dashed to a pay phone in Hagerstown, MD to wish her daughter
in Pittsburgh a happy birthday. A week later she got the bill: $21.39 for her 22-minute call. For the same amount she could
have called Paris and talked for half an hour.
"I was shocked," recalled Viar, who had never heard of Polar Communications, the company that carried the call.
"But I went ahead and paid because I figured it would go against my credit." But because she felt "ripped off," Viar filed a
complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.
In the last year, the FCC has received 4,280 complaints about pay phones and hotel phones. The complaints have
been increasing, and the majority involve claims of excessive charges.
"They are the No. 2 source of complaints from consumers," said Kathleen Wallman, the commission's top telephone
regulator. The No. 1 complaint is "slamming," the unauthorized switching of people's long-distance companies.
The commission is lookin for ways to toughen rules to protect consumers against price gouging, said Wallman, chief
of the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau. Behind each pay phone in the country is a company responsible for the service,
from carrying calls to providing operator assistance.
Hundreds of companies are in this business - including the nation's three big long distance carriers, AT&T, MCI and
Sprint. The smaller companies servce hundreds of thousands of phones.
The big three, whose rates are comparable and considered low by federal regulators, are not the problem. The
problem, says Wallman, is companies such as Bethesda, MD based Oncor Communications, whose rates are three to four
times as high as those of the big phone companies.
Oncor has generated 1,000 complaints to the FCC - 800 of which concerned rates. In April the FCC ordered the
company to lower its charges. The agency is investigating three other companies about exorbitant rates, said Mary Beth
Richards, deputy chief of the FCC's COmmon Carrier Bureau.
People making calls from pay phones or hotel phones are charged the rate offered by the company servicing the
phone - even if they have told an operator to bill their local or long-distance calling card. The only way to avoid this is to
dial an 800 or 950 access code listed on the back of the calling card before dialing the number. That bypasses the pay
phone or hotel phone service provider and connects directly with the usual long-distance carrier. "Consumers need to
educate themselves," saud FCC Chairman, Reed Hundt.
The commission is trying to help by distributing fact sheets to consumer groups and making the materials available
on the Internet, the global computer network. The FCC estimates 3 billion calls a year are made on pay phones and hotel
phones. And it estimates that people could save $280 million a year by avoiding service providers whose rates are higher
than those of PLAT&T, MCI and Sprint.
Oncor spokesman Greg Casey did not return calls seeking comment. Polar Communications, based in Manalapan, NJ
would not discuss Viar's complaint because it had not seen it. But a Polar official tried to answer a question about why the
company's rates are so much higher than those of the big three.
"We're a small carrier. We just can't provide the rates that AT&T, MCI and Sprint do," said Stacey Wilk, Polar's
regulatory manager.
Companies such as Polar and Oncor are required to file "informational tariffs" providing a range of long-distance
rates and associated charges to the FCC. The FCC does not approve or disapprove the rates, and they go into effect
immediately, Richards said.
Similar tariffs are filed to state regulators, who also get complaints. The FCC can take action against companies
whose interstate rates are found to be "unjust and unreasonable," Richards said. The FCC can order the rates reduced,
order refunds or credits, and impose fines. Since 1991, 26 companies under threat of FCC action voluntarily lowered their
rates. The FCC has ordered only one company, Oncor, to reduce its charges.
The agency saus it has helped thousands of people who have filed complaints over the years to obtain refunds. The
FCC is considering making companies file specific tariffs, instead of a range of proposed interstate rates; requiring a voice
message explaining rates before calls are connected; and capping interstate rates.
The FCC also is taking a closer look at the surcharges some companies tack onto each call, Wallman said. In general,
money from these surcharges goes to pay phone owners of the hotel, bar or other establishment where a public phone is
located and sometimes to the company itself, which is the case with Oncor, federal regulators said, The FCC said Oncor's
surcharges alone have totaled as much as $10 per call.
Sonic Communications shutting down, facing probe over charge of 'slamming':
AUSTIN - An Atlanta-based long distance company embroiled in legal troubles over an unethical business practice is
shutting down and may leave some Texans without service, the Texas Attorney General's Office warned Thursday.
Sonic Communications Inc. has been the source of numerous complaints filed with the Attorney General's Office by
customers who say the company changed their long distance service without authorization, a practice known as
"slamming" in the industry.
Slamming often leaves consumers paying much higher rates than with their prior carrier, according to the attorney
general. Under scrutiny from attorney generals' offices in several states, including Texas, California, Illinois and New York,
Sonic filed for bankruptcy in April. Due to allegations of fraud and mismanagement by Sonic, the bankruptcy court
appointed a trustee last week to run the company, Attorney General Dan Morales' office said.
The service shutdown, already begun for business users, is proceeding for individual consumers, according to
Morales' office. In Texas, Sonic targeted Hispanic residents in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso and
McAllen.
"Since Sonic is known to have switched consumers' long distance service without authorization, we urge consumers,
especially those with Hispanic surnames, to check their latest telephone bills to see who is their long distance provider,"
Morales said.
"If your long distance service is provided by Sonic Communications Inc., you may want to immediately contact a new,
reputable long distance service company or your local telephone company to acquire new service," he said.
No one answered phone calls Thursday to Sonic's office in Atlanta. Morales' office saud it is playing a role in Sonic's
bankruptcy case and plans to ask for restitution to consumers, civil penalties and $400,000 owed to Texas in state sales
taxes.
One Texas lawmaker during the 1995 legislative session tried to get a bill passed to cut back on the practice of
slamming. The bill by Sen. Don Henderson, R-Houston, would have required a long distance carrier to have a written
letter from a consumer specifically authorizing a change of service. Violating the bill's provisions would have been a felony.
The bill, however, died.
"The slammers' lobby was fairly effective this session in making sure that bill died. The penalties may have been
exorbitant and that may have helped kill it," said Tom Smith, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Public
Citizen.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-370-4680 PLA Voicemail System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET - directory pub\deadkat\incoming\PLA (Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
Issue #033
Completed On July 4, 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction - RBCP
2. Running The Neighborhood - Monster Magnet
3. The Official Phreaker's Manual
4. Classified Ads
5. How To Make A Beige Box
6. Roy, New Mexico Telephone Directory
7. Interviews With Roy Residents
8. Phone Loser Headline News
9. Application to Carry PLA (Ya-hoo!)
If you haven't already, you should download the PLA95SUM.ZIP which is the first edition of the Phone Losers Fone
Directory. It's got a lot of phone numbers in it that you'll never have any kind of need for! In this issue you're going to
learn how to run your neighborhood as well as the history of phone phreaking and tips on how to be a real honest-to-god
phone phreak! I've also included a classified ads section where you can advertise anything you want. If you'd like to place
an ad in the PLA classifieds, e-mail me today.
I received a call from the Sprint Billing Office the other day concerning my overdue $300 phone bill. I learned
through my expert social engineering techniques that I can't use Monopoly money to pay for a Sprint phone bill but it is
alright to use someone else's stolen credit card to pay for it as long as I have the actual name on the card. I told him to
accomplish this I would have to go out and mug a yuppie and steal his wallet and his only reply was that "That wouldn't be
good." Never once did he tell me not to do it so I was thinking that maybe I could mug a guy and if I get caught I could
blame it all on the Sprint operator. I told the guy that if all goes well with the mugging I should have the check in the mail
by Friday.
A big hello goes out to the "PLA Troy Division", the little 8th graders in Troy, Illinois who've taken it upon themselves
to print out all the PLA issues and sell them to the kids who aren't a part of the amazing information superhighway.
Another hell goes out to Moondog, also of Troy who gave me their names and phone numbers. (Thank you!) And last but
not least, Mr. Joseph who changed his number, made it unlisted and password protected the account just so we'd leave
him alone. His new unlisted & protected number is 618-797-1156. His wife actually started calling and saying, "Ha ha"
after they changed it and we couldn't call. Then she said, "What does PLA stand for anyway? Penis Lickers Anonymous??
HAHAHAHAHA!" All this from a thirty year old welfare mom. Sheesh!
Running The Neighborhood - Monster Magnet:
After reading this you will probably think that I am a sick and deranged man who enjoys to be.....anti-social.....at best.
Anyways...I'm going to tell you how to run your neiborhood. Yes, yes, yes...I'm sure all of you have seen text files on the
basic skills of anarchy, but here's another, so pay attention and sit up straight!
One night, when you have nothing better to do, just grab an old rag that just happens to be soaking in motor oil and
walk down your street to the local gossip's house....you know....the one who told your parents about when your girlfriend
climbed through your windows and then told them all the things that you and her shouted out in that evening of pleasure.
Take that rag and jam it up the tailpipe of the car. After a few monthes, she'll either have bad lungs or worse. While you're
there, just grab a couple of the bushes and other plant life that you can rip out of the ground, trees included if you are one
of those buff people, and throw them on the roof. It will make quite an impression on the night before the neighborhood
contest for the prettiest lawn and landscaping.
Of course, it would be silly to just stop there...just look around for some nice roadkill, there's always a possum here
and there, and stuff it in the mailbox. If you're really clever, you would have a sticker handy that said 'Special Delivery
From Our Oven To Your Home' and have a little picture of Mrs. Baird or something. Before you leave, make sure you have
a nice can of gasoline and pour a big puddle on the porch and make a trail to the side of the house. Next, go ring the
doorbell and run to the side of the house and light the gasoline from there. When she opens the door she will see a huge
trail of flame turning the corner and running up the front walk right for her.
Usually after she slams the door you can here loud cussing followed by intense prayer. It's a real eye-openner.
In case there is no neighborhood gossip, you don't have a girlfriend to sneak in, or if you're just not one of those
religious types, just grab some threaded pipes, some caps for them, some baby food jars, rocks, baking soda, vinegar,
gasoline, and of course matches, and head down to your local church. One of the first things to do is to grab a monk outfit
and stand by the cross. It's good to have little contact explosives with you. I don't quite remember the recipe, but it
involves a cookie sheet, petroleum jelly, black powder, and one or two other things but they are really cool to toss around.
Hopefully this church has statues of Jesus, his mom and dad, and those three wise guys that you can stand with so
you don't look too out of place. As little kids or old ladies walk by toss one of those contact explosives at their feet. Make
sure it's a small piece because a good sized one will knock out a brick wall. After everyone is inside, grab a threaded pipe
and put some rocks in it. Next fill the baby food jar with vinegar, then fill the pipe with baking soda, but not too much.
Then put the caps on the pipe REAL tight. Do this a couple of times to get a good supply. Next, pour gasoline on the cross
and light it. Scream about how Alla will forgive their evil ways and toss the pipes into the parking lot. Inside the pipe, the
baby food jars should break and the baking soda and vinegar will mix, bubble heavily, and the pipe should explode sending
pieces of metal, rocks, glass, and liquid in all directions.
Now, since you've been seen you should uproot a bush and hold it behind you and run away so they will think you are
a terrorist from Iraq and no one will think it was you.
Well, I hope that gave you all good ideas on how to spend your Saturday nights! Just don't forget to carve PLA in one
of the big trees around what ever you...visit....just so everyone knows that the Phone Losers are out to get them. Below the
initials you might want to put a note saying that all bills will be covered by Chris Tomkinson and leave his address.
The Official Phreakerz Manual - by RedRoyChiliPepper:
Are you ready to be in the 3733178 Phreaking & Hacking scene?? Well, for all of you beginers, I've compiled all of the
best text files along with my own extensive know-how to teach you, the novice, how to become one of the big guys in the
scene.
History:
Every real phreaker in the scene knows his history so here's a brief summary of how it all began and how it's
progressed through the years... In the begining, there was one phreak who started it all. His name was Bob and every
phreak in the world could eventually trace their origins to Bob. Bob, born in Tribune, Kansas, was a homeless man who
was rummaging through a dumpster by the phone company building looking for the night's supper and some alluminum
cans (Bob was an earth-conscience wino) when he came across a large blue manual labeled "Southwestern Bell's Blue
Manual of Phone Company Tones E911 That Ordinary Citizens Should Never Never Never Ever Never Have Access To!"
Gee, thought Bob, I could use this very large manual tonight to cover myself up with while I sleep on the park bench.
That night, while having a little trouble sleeping (Bob had a bad case of insomnia), Bob began to read this manual and
began to think about all he'd found and the next morning, sitting on the City Hall's steps used a Campbell's soup can, some
string and various other electronic parts and assembled the world's first "Blue Box." With it, Bob was able to call anywhere
on the block by using his blue box to mimick the phone company's own tones. Later that winter he met a man named John
Draper who was in town for an anti-smoking conference who discovered that with a simple modification, Bob's blue box
could call anywhere in the world.
A year later, in 1978, a lot had happened to John Draper. One morning he was looking around in the kitchen for his
Frosted Flakes and was pissed when he found out that his room mate had eaten them all so he had to settle for Froot
Loops instead. He ate four bowls so he could finally get to the bottom of the box to get the toy surprise, which was a plastic
dildo for kids! After playing with the dildo for several hours, he found that when he blew into the end of it, he would hear a
sound very close to 26,000,000 Htz, the same tone that his blue box made to control the phone company! John
immediately adopted the handle Capt'n Crunch to throw the feds off and set out to Kroger's to buy out their entire suppy
of Froot Loops.
Eventually, word spread about the blue boxes and many other boxes began to be built by "phone phreaks", each one
serving a different form of phone fraud.
One of the more well known phreaks was a man named Joe Engressia, a deaf man who lived in Tennessee. He was
eventually able to cause the pay phones in his college to give out free calls to the other students by whistling country songs
into the phones. He found that when he whistled anything by Wayne Newton he could get a free call but since he was deaf,
he had to get a friend to talk on the phone to whoever he reached for him. Joe was finally busted in the early eighties and
sentenced to death in the state of Florida.
In 1983 the controversial movie, War Games came out and gave birth to a new generation of computer hackers and
phone phreaks. Starring Tom Cruise as a teen-age hacker, this movie told the story of a kid who came close to starting
Operation Dessert Storm when he used his computer to call up the library and erase his outstanding overdue book late
fees.
In 1986, Erik Bloodaxe and Gail Thatckery started a publication called Phrack, which was run out of Erik's garage on
his Timex Sinclair 1000 computer. Phrack continued to be the nation's leading hacker magazine until an investigator for
Pacific Bell ate beans for supper and bought a 14.4 Hayes Accura modem and Phrack was shut down until the
controversial E*32 article was found to have actually been written by Steve Jackson who ran a super-underground bbs
called P-80 Systems.
Today the scene is still alive and kicking. Hacker Kevin Mitnick was located and arrested for writing anarchy files
detailing how to crash airplanes into the White House and how to make Drain-o bombs and Wal-Mart continues to give
full money-back refunds to people who give them modem casings full of crushed Pepsi cans. No one has heard from Bob
for over twenty years now.
Phone Company Acronyms:
Now that you know all the history of the underground, it's time for the technical stuff. Below I'm going to list a few of
the acronyms that the phone companies use.
COSMOS - Computer Operations Mattel Or Something, I think. This is the system that the phone company uses to
print out their paychecks
LAC - Local Area Con. The phone company uses this term to inform people that there's a hacker conference in town.
RBOC - Regional Big Office Center. This is where the big offices are located that the employees work in.
Of course there's a whole lot more but I think that I'm too eleet to tell you. It's not really because I don't know myself.
I know everything.
Phone Phreak Conference Bridges:
One of the phone phreaks major sources of trading information is the phone companys' teleconferencing services.
When you hook into one of these systems, you can talk with over two people at once! The phone company's technical term
for this is three-way calling and the underground is currently working on ways to get this service so they can use it on their
home phones. In the old days it was really easy to do with a Kitty Litter Box and everything but with the advancing
technology and the 5EFF switching system, it's a little bit more complicated.
K0dez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:
Getting a hold of credit card and calling card numbers is a phreak's most important task. Every real phreak in the
country has set up their home answering machine as a "code line" and then created an 800 number to their house and
advertised the number on bbs systems and local newspapers for people to call. When you reach a code line, the owner will
read off a bunch of good codes and then at the tone you leave your own. NEVER set up a code line on a VMB system you've
infiltrated!! YOU WILL BE CAUGHT!! Always set up the code lines from your home phone. This is the proven safe way.
Pay Phone Tricks:
We all know that using your home phone is the best place to use stolen calling cards and credit cards from, but
sometimes it's necessary to use a pay phone, usually because a phreak is locked out of the house and didn't have his lockpicking anarchy filez on him. To get free calls on a pay phone, all you need is a "black box". This box mimicks the sound of
slugs going into a pay phone and gives you free calls. If a phone company employee approaches you while you're black
boxing, always smile and be friendly and show him your black box. It impresses the hell out of them when they learn about
these things and most likely you'll make a new friend.
Another little known trick is all of the Bell pay phones secret commands. Go to any Bell or GTE phone, pick up the
handset, deposit a quarter and dial "24998-24001-29190904675971-87-429087" and just watch what happens! All of the
money came out of the phone, right?? That's right, since Knight Lightning published that pay phone key schematic in his
CoTNo magazine, the phone company stopped using keys altogether and use this access codes on all of the phones across
the United States. (Of course, this only works on Bell and GTE phones.)
Well, that's gonna be it for this issue. Perhaps in the next issue I'll speak a bit more on the new 5EFF switching
systems, cellular hacking, putting your home fone in test mode and field phreaking.
Classifieds:
FOR SALE: One (1) GTE Public Pay Phone ripped off the wall from Ed's Bar & Grill in Waverly, Iowa. In good
condition aside from a few scrapes and some grafitti here and there. Features touch tone dialing, volume control, rigged
for free calls, filled with $200 in quarters that I can't manage to get out. Weighs about 900 lbs & I'm asking $2.00 for it.
Call me at 801-855-3326 if you're interested. WARNING:
This product is equiped with a GTE Homing Device (tm). If you buy this phone and live in GTE territory, they will
drive a bunch of trucks around your neighborhood and FIND you! Any buyers?
WANTED: Any kind of fone answering machine that doesn't have remote access capabilities. I really need an
answering machine cheap but I cant have RedBoxChiliPepper always listening to all my messages. Call Chris Tomkinson
at 618-258-0357.
FOR SALE: One kidnapped AT&T operator. Old, wrinkly, wears glasses and an operator headset all the time.
Answers to the name of Kay. Abducted earlier this week from the AT&T building in Portland, OR on Stark Street. Not
really a very friendly type but she likes to answer the phone.Anyone interested please send a self addressed,
stamped envelope to 4361 Vine St. Cincinnati, Ohio, 69842 or call 1-800-328-2120.
FOR SALE, GODDAMMIT: One cocksucking cordless phone. $30 obo or 15 packs of Marlboros. No longer needed
because those dickweeds keep listening in on my fucking conversation but just let 'em fucking try it again. I got the
*32 all rigged with the phone company and I'll find the little bastards. I know who you are, Roy. Call Dean Allsman,
618-xxx-xxxx
GARAGE SALE: 1021 Broadway, Highland, IL Sat & Sun, rain or shine. Clothes, toys, Wangs, Mainframes, red boxes,
blue boxes lineman's handsets, nick knacks, old crossbar switches, 500 meg hard drives, phone company tech manuals,
electronics, lot more!
Would you like to leave an ad in the PLA Classified section? If so, e-mail the classified department at
rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com or you can phone in your ad at 512-370-4680.Rates are 15-20 words, free and 21 words or
more will cost your soul. Just check "bill me."
How To Build A Beige Box - by Calimar Rasputan (Caffeine Boy):
First, get a phone with a cord. Cut the jack off. Put roach clips on the wires. Find a box. Use it.
Roy, New Mexico Telephone Directory:
PLA is proud to be the first to bring you the Roy, New Mexico telephone directory. Below is the number of every
listed person in Roy's September 1995 telephone book. Also included are a few phone conversation transcripts from when
I called up residents of Roy and interviewed them. None of them are made up, these are actual conversations that I
transcribed from tapes. Residents of Roy are awaiting your calls!
<<A>>
Abernathy, E H................485-2417
Alexander, Bernice............485-2249
Ambulance..........................911
Anderson, Dorothy G...........485-2489
Anderson, Grady O.............485-2573
Anderson, Hob.................485-2691
Anderson, Richard Ray.........485-2504
Andreas, Ebell................485-2661
Archuleta, Henry..............485-2291
Archuleta, Tony...............485-2284
Atkins, Joe A.................374-8648
<<B>>
Baca, Henry Jr................485-2231
Baca, John M..................485-2605
Bada, Jerry...................485-2430
Bada, Ruth....................485-2524
Baker, Darrel.................485-2476
Barbeau, Roland G.............485-2411
Baum, James...................485-2538
Beard, Earl B.................485-2450
Beard, Elmer..................485-2460
Beard, Floyd W................485-2465
Belvin, Jimmy.................485-2440
Bencomo, Ben..................485-2556
Bennett, S A..................485-2494
Berner, Wallance D............485-2485
Blasi, John...................485-2232
Blosser A C...................485-2530
Boulware, Richard.............485-2508
Bowman, Willis W Jr...........485-2514
Brock, Stephen L..............485-2554
Brockman, Gene................485-2420
Brown, Trigg..................485-2483
Burton, Neil..................485-2674
<<C>>
Cactus Flower Gifts...........485-2626
Cates, John C.................485-2218
Chisum, Curtis Carl...........485-2688
Clavel, C J Jody..............485-2543
Clavel, Joe...................485-2591
Couch, Ottie..................485-2226
Craig, Jim....................485-2660
<<D>>
DeHerrera, Ernest.............485-2617
DeLano, Mike..................485-2449
Deschamps, Emilio.............485-2428
Deschamps, Gilbert............485-2240
Dikeman, Gerald...............485-2250
Du La, Bruce..................485-2551
<<E>>
Eastern Plains Title 111......485-2639
Ebell, Anthony Sister.........485-2676
Ebell, Anothony & Terry.......485-2252
Ebell, Bonifacio..............485-2265
Ebell, Bonifacio S............485-2667
Ebell, Hilario................485-2241
Ebell, Horacio J..............485-2260
Esquibel, Annette.............485-2436
Esquibel, Antonio & Felicia...485-2408
Esquibel, Cassie..............485-2643
Esquibel, Charlie.............485-2243
Esquibel, Johnny E............485-2640
Esquibel, Lencho..............485-2293
Esquibel, Secundino...........485-2623
<<F>>
Farley Ranch-Flemming Camp....485-2515
Farley Ranch..................485-2575
Farley School.................485-2606
Fire Department....................911
First Baptist Church..........485-2679
Floershiem, Allen.............485-2211
Floershiem Printing...........485-2212
Floershiem Printing Line 2....485-2213
Fluhman, Ernest Warner Jr.....485-2582
Fluhman, Lee & Sherrita.......485-2586
<<G>>
Gallagher, J E................485-2224
Garcia, Jimmy.................485-2431
Garrison, Harrell.............485-2568
Gift, Fred....................485-2440
Gillespie, G P................485-2517
Gilstrap, Phil................485-2233
Glaze, James & Ross...........485-2525
Gonzales, Eloy T..............485-2650
Gonzales, Maria J.............485-2246
Gutierrez, Ernest.............485-2665
<<H>>
Harding County Fire District..485-2637
Harding Magistrate Court......485-2549
Hartley, Pat..................485-2534
Hartley, Pat (Mobile Unit??)..763-5575
Hazen, Billy..................485-2696
Hazen, Richard................485-2618
Heimann, Frank................485-2507
Hephner, Anthony & Cathie.....485-2269
Herron, L Allen...............485-2636
Hicks, Bob....................485-2544
Holy Family St. Joseph Parish.485-2579
Hooper, Edith.................485-2592
<<I>>
Ivey, A E.....................485-2276
Ivey, Era Allice Mrs..........485-2562
<<J>>
Jeffers, Viola................485-2433
Johnson, Carroll Mrs..........485-2227
Judy, Rod.....................485-2649
<<K>>
KGM Electric..................485-2217
Kidd, Champ...................485-2296
Kirkland, J H.................485-2295
Kitzing, August...............485-2285
<<L>>
Latham, John..................485-2536
Laumbach, Alfred C............485-2457
Laumbach, Pedro J.............485-2678
Laumbach, Rick................485-2253
Ledoux, Pat...................485-2621
Linder, Dave W................485-2427
Lovato, Joe M.................485-2692
Lovato, Manuel................485-2201
Lovato, Tody..................485-2629
Lucero, G A...................485-2414
Lujan.........................485-2266
Lujan, Louis A................485-2468
<<M>>
Mackey, Monroe................485-2296
Madole, Wyman.................485-2237
Maestas, Frank................485-2689
Mahoney J H Construction......485-2244
Mahoney, John A...............485-2572
Manly, Ray E..................485-2279
Martha's Cafe.................485-2661
Martin W F....................485-2219
Martinez, Berthn..............485-2466
Martinez, Frances G...........485-2215
Martinez, George & Rachel.....485-2217
Martinez, Nick Jr.............485-2255
Masonic Lodge.................485-2546
Mayer, Doc & Corolyn..........485-2462
McDonald, Harrison............485-2287
McGlaun, Casey................485-2687
Menapace, M E.................485-2259
Mesa Hotel....................485-2661
Methodist Parsonage...........485-2594
Mike's Conoco.................485-2267
Milson D S....................485-2298
Mitchell, Chet................485-2547
Mitchell, Ed..................485-2589
Montoya, Florencio J..........485-2223
Montoya, Michael..............485-2270
Moore, Jack...................485-2685
Motor Vehicle Division........485-2607
<<N>>
New Mexico Highway & Trans....485-2646
New Mexico Highway Department.485-2697
New Mexico Park Service.......485-2424
New Mexico State Land Office..485-2627
Nucci, Eugene J...............485-2662
<<O>>
Olivas, Julian & Helen........485-2636
<<P>>
Payton, Leon..................485-2297
Pendleton, D C................485-2248
Pendleton Oil & Gas Company...485-2262
Pendleton Station.............485-2542
Pendleton, Stephen R..........485-2630
Perea, Richard................485-2288
Pete's Boots & Saddles........485-2220
Police Department.............485-2204
Popejoy Construction Co Inc...485-2454
Porterfield, Harold...........485-2202
Powell, Mary..................485-2432
Prichard, Donald..............485-2595
<<Q>>
Quintana, Lucille.............485-2670
Quintana, Pete................485-2271
Quintana, Roy T...............485-2238
<<R>>
Rael, M.......................485-2577
Raska, Wayne..................485-2624
Ray, Donna....................485-2545
Ray, George H 3rd.............485-2559
Ray Ranch.....................485-2559
Ray, Wendy & Rocky............485-2619
Redlich, Frank................485-2490
Reese Ranch Store.............485-2426
Rice..........................485-2687
Rigoni, Brenda F..............485-2570
Rigoni, James.................485-2634
Rigoni, Roy...................485-2283
Romero, Edward................485-2653
Romero, Santos & Faye.........485-2564
Roy Feed Store................485-2626
Roy Public School.............485-2521
Roy Public School (Suptndt)...485-2242
Roy Sundries..................485-9939
Roy Village Clerk.............485-2541
Roy Matenance.................485-2435
Roy Marshall (Police Dept)....485-2204
Water Superintendent..........485-2435
<<S>>
S O Ranch.....................485-2688
S O Ranch Camp................485-2537
Sanchez, Maria Martinez.......485-2503
Sande, Dean...................485-2655
Sandoval, Alfred Jr...........485-2616
Saunders, Juanita & Gary......485-2406
Scott, Allen..................485-2657
Scott, Carl...................485-2628
Scott, Keith..................485-2652
Scott's Stop 'N' Shop.........485-2299
Self, Dolty & Betty...........485-2275
Self, Roy H...................485-2236
Shaw, Albert..................485-2264
Shurbet, L V..................485-2239
Skies, Cliff..................485-2575
Skiles, Cliff.................485-2515
Smith, Bryce..................485-2520
Smith, Thomas.................485-2598
Springer Electric Cooperative.485-2253
Sussman, Norman & Gabriele....485-2222
<<T>>
Tafoya, Delfinia..............485-2593
Tafoya, Steve.................485-2695
Taylor, Bennie................485-2282
Telles, M A...................485-2588
The Bank of New Mexico........485-2281
Trampe, Agnes.................485-2221
<<U>>
Ulibarri, Larry...............485-0334
Soil Conservation Service.....485-2294
U.S. Post Office..............485-2648
Unruh, Herman & Helen.........485-2592
<<V>>
Velasquez, John...............485-2234
<<W>>
Wadlington, Virginia..........485-2555
Wallis, Francis...............485-6101
Weathers, L...................485-2461
Weathers, T Allen.............485-2539
Weisdorfer, Charles Ivan......485-2254
Weisdorfer, Donald............485-2256
Weisdorger, Donald............485-2671
Wood, Travis..................485-2693
<<XYZ>>
Ybarra, Amadeo................485-2610
Ybarra, Carmen................485-2690
Ybarra Propane................485-2686
Zachry, Dellas G..............485-2654
Their phone company is called Enmr Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Their business office's number is 1-800-432-2369
and repair service is also 1-800-432-2369.
Interviews With Roy Residents:
Cactus Flower Gifts: I called here and a very nice lady answered the phone. Their phone number is 485-2626 so it's
obvious that this is Emanuel Goldstien's Roy Headquarters for 2600 Magazine.
HER: Cactus Flower Gifts.
ME:: What kind of flowers can I get there?
HER: Well, we don't actually have any flowers available right now.
ME:: Isn't this a flower shop?
HER: No, it's a gift shop.
ME:: Like sort of a souvineer shop??
HER: Yeah.
ME:: Hey, cool, do you have anything with "Roy New Mexico" printed on it?
HER: Hmmm, well, we have coffee mugs and some magnets.
ME:: How much are the magnets?
HER: They're $2.10, that'd be $2.22 with tax.
ME:: Do you think I could send you a money order and you could mail it to me?
HER: No, I don't think that'd be a problem.
ME:: Okay, could I get your address there?
HER: It's P.O. Box 98, Roy, New Mexico, 87743.
ME:: Do the magnets have "Roy" printed on them? Any with a cactus on it?
HER: (Rummages through her magnets...) Yeah, here's one...It's got a cactus, a road runner and has Roy, NM printed
along the bottom.
ME:: Cool, well, I'll send you the money and a little extra for postage first thing in the morning then!
HER: Okay, well, thank you.
Funny, not once did she act like it was weird that I was calling to mail order something, nor did she ask me where I
was calling from. Unfortunately I was making all these calls on July 4th so I wasn't able to talk to the police station. But
several stores were still open and a lot of residents were home to talk to. I was able to get ahold of Travis Wood and have a
few words with him:
TRAVIS: Hello?
RBCP: Hi, I'm with the Los Angeles Daily news in California. We're just doing an interview to the residents of Roy,
New Mexico concerning the recent UFO sightings over your town.
TRAV: Oh. Well, I don't know about any UFOs being sighted over the city. Have you had any reports of 'em?
RBCP: Oh, tons! It's all over the news and the papers over here. And also in New York where I've been doing some
work.
TRAV: I'm not aware of very much. Of course, there's been some reports here, I know.
RBCP: Yes, and there was a lot around Wagon Mound, too.
TRAV: Yes, uh huh.
RBCP: Have you heard anything about this?
TRAV: Not recently, no.
RBCP: Okay, well I'll just call some other people in the book here. Thanks a lot for your time.
Then I called up Herman & Helen and let Zak speak a bit on the same topic:
HELEN: Hello?
ZAK: Is this Helen?
HLN: Yes it is.
ZAK: This is Alex from the New York times in New York City.
HLN: It's who?
ZAK: The New York Times, the newspaper in New York City...Hello?
HLN: Hello?
ZAK: Yes, I'm with the newspaper. The BIG one in New York City.
RBCP: New York City??
HLN: I'm not interested in it, I don't think...
ZAK: No, no, we don't deliver out there, HELL no! I'm calling about the UFO sightings over your town.
HLN: Well I just don't know nothing about it.
ZAK: Hmmmm, well last night there was a big UFO sighted over your town and it's in all the newspapers and on T.V.
You didn't see anything like that?
HLN: No sir, I sure haven't.
ZAK: Well, the reports here say that they came for those neat little magnets with the cactus and the roadrunner on
them. And they wanted to kidnap people named Herman. Do you know anyone named Herman?
HLN: Yes, I know someone.
ZAK: Who do you know named Herman?
HLN: I know someone named Herman, yes.
ZAK: Who is it?
HLN: It's my husband.
ZAK: Oh, you should probably hide him because, you know, the aliens might get him.
It ended up that Herman was also on the phone listening in and the phone call ended kind of lamely. Our next phone
call was to Bob Hicks. I had to talk to his wife about my bubble mower being stolen by two danged kids.
ME:: Hello, is Bob home?
HER: I think he's around somewhere but not very close. Can I have him call you?
ME:: Well, this is Ross. Ross Glaze. And some kids just came over here and stole my ridin' mower! Have you seen 'em
drivin' around your house there?
HER: No, I haven't. Who'd you say this is?
ME:: Two stupid little kids drivin' my ridin' mower all over the place. This is Ross Glaze, down the street, cross town,
'round the bend.
HER: Where are you from?
ME:: I'm here in Roy.
HER: Well, there hadn't been anyone around here.
ME:: Well, if you see 'em you give me a call back, okay?
HER: What's your number?
ME:: It's 2525.
HER: Okay, I will.
ME:: Thank you, bye!
Leon Payton was a fun person to call because he wasn't home and I got to talk to his answering machine. Me, being
the amazing unbelievable hacker that I am, was able to conquer his one digit passcode on his answering machine, listen to
his messages, erase them and then change his greeting.
OLD MESSAGE:
"Hello. This is Leon. I am unable to answer the telephone right now, but if you will leave your name and telephone
number, I will return your call."
NEW AND IMPROVED MESSAGE:
"Hello, this answering machine has been infiltrated by the Phone Losers of America. You HAVE reached the PLA
headquarters in Roy, New Mexico. Leon no longer owns this machine or the house. It's all been taken over by the PLA.
Unfortunately no one is here to answer your call, but if you leave your name, number and a message, we'll get back to you
as soon as possible. Thank you for calling..."
---Phone Losers Of America Headline News---
Retired Switchboard Operator Recalls Listening In:
3/26/94 broadcast news
DANIEL ZWERDLING, Host: In the 1940's and '50's Veladie Parker worked as a switchboard operator in the small
town of McGreggor in East Texas. And Parker says that like most telephone operators, she would occasionally pass time
listening in on people's telephone calls.
VELADIE PARKER: We knew everybody who was doing things they shouldn't be doing. We knew boyfriends,
girlfriends, oh yes, we knew. And we talked about it among ourselves, but we didn't make gossip of it. Because you know,
when I was in Waco and they trained me, Miss Mamie trained me, and she said, now, I'm going to tell you it is not against
the law to listen in, but it is against the federal law to repeat it, and you know information begs to be told. Never would
forget that, never will, a hundred years ago. [laughter]
[music]
MS. PARKER: There was a killer out, it has been a long, long time ago, and he broke out of jail and I was working on
nights and he killed about six people in East Texas, I think, and he was out. I just happened to pick up a call where he was,
and, boy, it hit me like that. And I pondered and pondered and pondered over it, you know. And so, I finally called the
Texas Rangers and told them and, so, he was done away with pretty quick after that. That was one thing that's been on my
mind all my life.
Teen-agers and Their Families Are Victims of Telephone Chat Lines:
[The following is a news transcript I found in the library computers and thought it was interesting. I used to really be
into the chat line scene, but not in the 515 area. This article is really accurate about how people get addicted to these
things...RBCP]
Dateline NBC Friday Dec2, 1994
BRYANT GUMBEL reporting: Good evening. It's a fact of life that kids, especially teen-agers, spend a lot of time on
the phone. So it should come as no surprise that so-called 'chat lines' have become the latest craze of some young people.
The lines seem innocent enough, but there is a downside. We found teen-agers who became obsessed--in one case even
running away to live with strangers from the chat line. Here's Lea Thompson with part three of our
DATELINE investigation. DIALING FOR DOLLAR$ [<-they think they're eleet]
Offscreen Voice: (From telephone) What's up? You've reached the rap line.
ALEXIS: It really gets you addicted because you want to keep calling these people.
LEA THOMPSON reporting: (voiceover) It's a totally teen phenomenon.
Ms. KYLE BURGER: I got hooked on it, and I kept calling it.
Offscreen Voice: (From telephone) Welcome to the line with you in mind.
ALEXIS: I spent almost 24 hours a day on that line.
THOMPSON: Anyone can join this party line of the young and the restless; half a dozen can share conversation on
one line. It's advertised as free but it can be very expensive and dangerous.
ALEXIS: I never thought it would lead to this. This never crosses your mind when you pick up a phone. I mean, it's a
phone. Who would know it could tear your family apart so much?
THOMPSON: What did you talk about?
ALEXIS: Anything. There was--you could say anything and everything.
THOMPSON: But you talked for hours at a time?
ALEXIS: Oh, god. I talked for days at a time!
THOMPSON: Alexis says she got addicted to chat lines after she changed schools and started having a lot of trouble
fitting in. What did the chat line do for you that you couldn't get from your friends?
ALEXIS: I guess more acceptance, you know. I was always a very insecure person.
THOMPSON: For Alexis, the cost of this long-distance belonging was very high, higher than anyone could imagine.
ALEXIS: I admit I was totally hooked on that line.
THOMPSON: Every time things heated up at home over the phone bills, the 14 year old would take off across the
country to live with adults, men and women she'd met on the chat line.
ALEXIS: There was, ranging from 19 years old to--I think the oldest I was with was twenty-five.
THOMPSON: And she did it not once or twice but six times. You just blindly went off and met these people without a
second thought?
ALEXIS: Oh yeah, no thought at all. It was just, you know, I'm getting away from my problems. I'm--it's always in the
TV or newspapers that yes, you know, this person's been raped and killed or so and so; but it never occurred to me that it
could actually happen to me.
THOMPSON: But it occurred to her father, Bill, who was desperately trying to find her.
BILL: Yes, we were worried every time she was gone.
THOMPSON: And Alexis had run up more than $4,000 in long distance bills. When her father couldn't pay, the
phone was disconnected. But that isn't supposed to happen. Two years ago, Congress wrote a law to protect families from
phone nightmares like this. The law says that services like chat lines are supposed to be on 900 numbers, numbers parents
can have blocked. It says you can dispute a 900-call charge without being disconnected. To get around the law, chat lines
have moved their services onto regular long-distance lines, and that strips parents of the power to protect themselves and
their kids. As a result, Bill had no recourse when Pacific Bell disconnected his service, and he was reduced to calling Alexis'
chat-line friends to try to find her.
Offscreen Voice: (from telephone) A place to talk to girls and guys from all over the hood...
BILL: We spent hours at pay phones calling people on the chat line.
THOMPSON: It worked and he brought her home. But then he almost lost her for good. Alexis says her life was a
disaster, and the bills and the anger and the guilt were too much.
ALEXIS: And I attempted suicide and ended up in intensive care on my birthday. And that was, like, one of the worst
times in my life.
BILL: It's been a pure hell. Nothing mattered to her as much as being on the phone.
Offscreen Voice: (from telephone) Hey, everyone, thanks for calling. You've reached the most raging party line in the
country.
THOMPSON: Seventeen-year-old Kyle Burger was also lured into the chat-line scene, much to the dismay of her
mother.
Ms. MARY BURGER: It makes me angry because the kids don't know any better.
KYLE BURGER: My friend gave me the phone number. That because my new set of friends.
THOMPSON: Mary Burger says kids often get started after reading the dozens of chat-line adds in magazines like
Rolling Stone or Spin. The ads say it is 'hip' and 'hot' and 'sexy' and 'free'--free.
THOMPSON: Did you think it was free?
KYLE BURGER: The introduction to the party line was misleading.
THOMPSON: With her mother's permission, Kyle showed us how to get to her favorite chat line. It's a 515 area code.
Offscreen Voice: (from telephone) This is...(unintelligible)...the one and only, your personal connection to the hottest free
party lines around.
THOMPSON: It said 'free.'
KYLE BURGER: It did.
THOMPSON: Do you believe you were doing enough to try to cut her off?
Ms. MARY BURGER: I was locking up the telephones. I would lock them in the trunk of my car. And you have to
understand, too, that by the time I had my first bill, we were halfway into another billing cycle, so, you know, probably $3$400 worth of charges already in place before I found out about it for the very first time.
THOMPSON: Mary also found out that Kyle was hearing more that just idle chat on these lines.
KYLE BURGER: Hello? Do I have any daughters? No.
THOMPSON: When we heard the man on the other end of this call tell Kyle he was watching a child porn film, we cut
it off. Kyle's mother went on a crusade to track down who was behind all of this. It turned out to be a complicated trail, full
of surprises. You might think her search would take her to Las Vagas, New York, LA, but that 515 area code on her
telephone bills led her to this small town of Jefferson, Iowa. It's become the unlikely crossroads for hundreds of chat and
sex lines. This area may be known as the home of corn and cattle, but now chat lines are a major cash crop. According to
public records, in the two years since the small Jefferson Telephone Company hooked up with the chat and sex line
operator, its profits have jumped from $352,000 a year to $2,216,000 a year.
BILL: It's amazing. I mean, obviously they've latched on a gold mine.
THOMPSON: The Jefferson Telephone Company first told us it had severed its relationship with the company that
actually programs the chat lines. Jefferson Telephone refused to be interviewed on camera, but in a letter to Dateline said,
'because some people find parts of the programming objectionable, we did the right thing in terminating the contract.' But
Kyle Burger had no trouble getting Jefferson's 515 party line. Jefferson admits the contract with the company requires it to
keep the lines open for up to one year after giving notice. And who is that contract with?
Ms. MARY BURGER: His name's Ian Eisenberg.
THOMPSON: When Mary Burger complained to the Jefferson Telephone Company, she was sent to Ian and Joel
Eisenberg.
Ms. MARY BURGER: And I said, 'I'm not going to go away. I want you to know that I'm going to be your worst
nightmare.'
THOMPSON: The man in the Rolls Royce is Joel Eisenberg. Eisenberg's business took in more than $63 million a
year, according to documents filed in court in 1991 by the IRS. He then was running 72 separate corporations, almost all in
the phone-entertainment business. Eisenberg gained national attention in the late '80s when he ran a TV ad encouraging
kids to call Santa Claus on a 900 pay line. It instructed children to hold up the phone to the TV. Then the commercial
played the telephone tones and the call was automatically connected.
The IRS has investigated whather Joel Eisenberg underreported his income. The agency raided his Seattle offices in
1991. No charges have been filed. Meanwhile, the elder Eisenberg has passed the chat-line business off to his son, Ian. We
wanted to talk to Joel and Ian Eisenberg. They wouldn't respond to our request for an interview, so we tried in person.
(Thompson waiting by car as man leaves car)
THOMPSON: Mr. Eisenberg?
JOEL EISENBERG: Yes.
THOMPSON: How do you do? I'm Lea Thompson from DATELINE NBC.
JOEL FLUHMAN: Hi. How are you?
THOMPSON: I wonder if I could talk to you a little bit about your business.
JOEL FLUHMAN: I'm afraid not.
THOMPSON: (seconds later, Ian showed up for work) Are you Mr. FLUHMAN?
IAN FLUHMAN: You are?
THOMPSON: Lea Thompson from DATELINE NBC. I wonder if I could talk to you a little bit about you and your
father's business. We'd like to talk to you about the chat lines. People say that you're running ads that say the chat lines are
free, and then they get these huge bills, and they want to know how you can call your chat lines 'free'?
While Ian FLUHMAN didn't answer, industry insiders say the chat is free because you only pay the long-distance
charges. So how do people like the FLUHMANs make so much money? Well, Jefferson Telephone says it gives the
FLUHMANs a cut of what it collects. We went to the Federal Communications Commission to ask if it was legal for a
phone company to do that. Now the FCC is asking questions, too.
KATHLEEN WALLMAN (FCC): We've commenced an investigation of the Jefferson Company, including an audit of
its books, and that compensation arrangement is one of the things we're looking at.
THOMPSON: People like Mary Burger never heard about chat lines until eight months ago. Now she says they
represent expense and exploitation that never seems to end.
MARY BURGER: I felt victimized by the Ian FLUHMANs of the world, and I felt victimized by the phone companies,
and I felt victimized by my own daughter.
THOMPSON: What did it do to your family?
MARY BURGER: It made enemies out of us. I'm sorry.
THOMPSON: It tore your family apart.
MARY BURGER: It put my daughter in touch with people that--that I felt weren't good for her. It brought a lot of
hatred and animosity into my home. It's not been easy to deal with.
GUMBEL: If you feel that your child is spending too much time on chat lines, try calling your local phone company.
They can't help too much, but there are a few that will block the number for you.
Become A PLA Distribution Site Today!:
Below is the current list of listed Phone Loser distribution sites. If you'd like to become a PLA distribution site or
already carry the PLA files on your board, fill out the application form attached below. (Especially if your area code isn't in
the below list.) Please note that some of these boards aren't "offical" sites, but just boards that happen to carry our files on
them.
206-859-9469 Dark Side of the Moon - Seattle, Washington
208-466-1679 King's Domain - Nampa, Idaho
301-884-5012 Studio 54 - Mechanicsville, Maryland
303-343-4053 Hacker's Haven - Aurora, Colorado
303-932-1195 Twenty Miles North of Nowhere - Colorado
312-528-5020 Ripco - Chicago, Illinois
319-234-3654 UnderDark - Waterloo, Iowa
360-297-4049 The Coven - Kingston, Washington
405-341-9361 Phreaks of the Industry - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
405-720-1666 Dissident - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
503-636-3855 The Bin - Portland, Oregon
510-743-0603 Terminal Drift - East Bay, California
512-458-3409 The Sprawl - Austin, Texas
512-790-8989 Aurora Magellan - Rockport, Texas
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems - Corpus Christi, Texas
512-883-7543 Whombat Communications - (RBCP's Lame BBS)..Corpus Christi, Texas
514-725-0189 Sillicon Underground - Montreal, Quebec
616-373-5885 Larcenist's Keep - Kalamazoo, Michigan
618-797-2339 Roy's Place (PLA Original WHQ) - Granite City, Illinois
619-451-2174,,11,11 Sea of Green - San Diego, California
703-362-9629 The Other Side of Reality- Virginia
717-788-7435 Cyber-Sphincter - Drums, Pennsylvania
810-348-0421 Daddy Hill House - Northville, Michigan
907-780-6760 Syenergy - Juneau, Alaska
Application To Be A Phone Loser Distribution Site
So, you'd like to be one of the "official" distribution sites for the Fone Losers of America? Why?? You know, when
everybody finds out that you're pathetic enough to carry PLA on your system they're all just going to laugh at you and
make fun of you and have your home phone turned into a pay phone but if you really, really insist, here's the application...
Really, there's no application about it. Anyone who wants to can become a distribution site, all you have to do is
apply. What do you get out of it? Well, you get put on the Distribution List. Other than that, nothing reallyspecial happens
to you and you still won't have any friends, you'll just have a bunch of crappy files on your hard drive.
PLApplication:
Name of Your BBS:__________________________________
Podunk Town & State You Live In:________________________
Telephone Number(s):________________________________
Your Handle:_______________________________________
Internet Address:____________________________________
How Long Has Your BBS Existed?_____________Cactus?______
Alternative Means of Contacting You:______________________
Here's how it works: Send this form back to the PLA and you'll be added to the distribution list. You can send this
back via internet or by calling one of the PLA Systems, listed at the end of this file. If for some reason you can't contact us
in e-mail, you can leave a voice request on the PLA voicemail box. If all else fails, U.S. mail will be fine.
If you have an e-mail account, you'll get the issues within 24 hours of their release. If you call one of the PLA Data
Lines, you can also get it pretty quick. If you absolutely can not call long distance, let us know and we'll call your system
and upload the files periodically. Keep in mind, if you're unable to call long distance for free, we'll be making fun of you
behind your back all the time, but we'll still be nice enough to upload the issues to you, maybe. (Especially if it's a board I
frequent.)
RULES AND REGURLASHINS:
You have to designate a section in your files area that is only for PLA texts, graphics, etc.
Every user, no matter how lame he is or how much you despise him or even if he used the PLA hacking technique on
your BBS, must have access to the PLA section of your system.
If any member of the PLA is to log on to your board, you must give him full & complete access, which includes, but is
not limited to access to all of your text files, all your illegal warez, utilities, your Telix
.FON directory with your bbs list and passwords, your personal Doogie Howser diary, personal mail, word processing files,
financial records, etc, etc, etc... If a PLA member continues to call your bbs, you must start sending him/her lots of money
in the mail and telling everyone how cool he/she is.
Well, that's about it. If you really think I'm going to try and enforce any of these rules, you're on drugs. This is just
what I prefer. I mean, it's not like PLA contains any kind of valuable information to the point of you needing to only let the
elite users have access to it. So, mail off this application ASAP and you're on your way to fame and fortune.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-370-4680 PLA Voicemail System
Data:
618-797-2339 PLA BBS Illinois Line
512-883-7543 PLA BBS Texas Line
512-851-8317 Sonic Youth Systems
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Site: FTP.FC.NET - directory pub\deadkat\incoming\PLA (Thanks to Disorder & Deadkat!)
Internet:
rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact RedBoxChiliPepper)
cactus@basenet.net (To contact Zak a.k.a. el_jefe)
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact Colleen Card)
Issue #034
Completed On August 8th, 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction - RBCP
2. The 618 Scene: Chatterbox BBS
3. The 618 Scene: The Hit Man War
4. The 618 Scene: Hack-Phreak Scene of 618?
5. The 618 Scene: Miscellaneous
6. How To Piss Off RBCP - by Colleen Card
7. What People Are Saying About The PLA
8. This Issue's Total Loozer Award
9. This Issue's Featured Support Sites
10.Classifieds Section
Wow, this PLA issue is going to be a doozie. As usual, longer and even more meaningless. First of all, I want to inform
everyone of the little change the stupid bastards at the voicemail company in Austin made. They totally changed voicemail
software (no longer the easily hacked Aspin) and relocated their offices to downtown which meant, without warning, my
voicemail number changed.
This all means, of course, that my plan of having a permanent number that wouldn't change for a long time went out
the window. Even for me, being a "valued" customer of over seven months, they wouldn't refer the calls from my old
number to my new number. So, the new PLA Voicemail number is 512-703-8910.
I finally got my brand new shiney fridge magnet from Roy, New Mexico the other day, direct from their gift shop!
They even sent back my change (in cash) and they sent back the stamps I had enclosed for postage. (The magnet was a
little smaller that I'd anticipated.) They also included their business card and a receipt with a hand written note on it,
"Thanks! We enjoyed doing mail order business with you!" Thank you, Cactus Flower Gift Shop! I feel so cool...
In the past few weeks, I've been doing a lot of bbsing in the 618 (Alton, IL) area. I don't know WHY I started calling
around there, but I did and you're about to be treated to a four part series about the total lameness of that entire area. I
encourage anyone who lives there to MOVE OUT before it's too late! Get ready to meet the PHREEKER scene of 618... As
well as the Christian bbs scene and a few hillbillies. First, we bring you the Chatterbox BBS...
The Chatterbox
Welcome to ChatterBox BBS!
\\\\l////
(OO)
----oOOo---U---oOOo---Last people who decided to call:
Number Handle
Language Time Date Speed
##
ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ
3916 Hit Man #103
Hillbilly 14:30 07/31 14400/LAPM/V.42bis 3
3917 Zensless1 #80
English 14:39 07/31 14400/LAPM/V.42bis 4
3918 Morbid Death #34
English 15:42 07/31 2400
1
3919 Captain Picard #97
Valley 16:22 07/31 14400/LAPM/V.42bis 1
Auto message by: Chatty #1
***************************
Nice day, isn't it?
***************************
* Welcome New User to ChatterBox BBS *
You have connected to ChatterBox BBS !!! It is located in Belleville, Illinois which is just east of St. Louis. Our
phone number is (618) 277-8040. We thank you for calling us and hope you find this board to be useful and entertaining!
We offer online games, email, message bases, and a complete file area.
Please feel free to use all of the time you are given. There are NO FEES and NO RATIOS, and only a few rules.
Below is a disclaimer of legalities and rules for the board. READ THEM, but don't let this get in the way of having a good
time and using the resources of the board. These rules can be followed easily by using common sense and being tolerant of
others. If you have any problems please feel free to email me and let me know.
1) NO swearing, cussing, or offensive language! [<-- Isn't all of that
2) NO pornography or X-rated material!
the same?? -RBCP]
3) The golden rule is the supreme rule of the board.
(Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!)
Follow these rules and we can ensure a good quality board for everyone. Anyone disobeying these rules will be
punished by having their access to this system denied. The systems operator of the board has final say in all disputes. The
SysOp also holds the right to deny access to this system to anyone that does not comply with these rules.
Thanx, your SysOp
Chatty
Welcome to ChatterBox BBS.. I hope you like it here, we have a few on-line games, and more on the way...
We have a few files, right now, am busy working on getting the games working.. I hope you like the board.. Feel free
to look around.
YOU WILL be VOICE validated, before your access will be raised.
A.) You MUST give your FULL name, address and phone # before validation. This MUST be Your REAl name, REAL
address, and your REAL phone Number.
Absolutely NOBODY will be validated unless they give a Voice Number where we can Call you back and Voice
Validate you.
B.) State where you got this #.
C.) Give 3 peoples names on boards that we can contact that will tell us info about you, and if a sysop, what board
they are a sysop of.
Anyone not answering these three question, will NOT BE VALIDATED and possibity of being deleted. Anyone NOT
leaving Feedback with the required info, will be deleted Automatically.
But if you answered these correctly you will be voice validated and if it is the right #, your access will be raised..
Thanx for your time...
That is, more or less, what you see when you log onto Chatterbox BBS. The ChatterBox Incident has to come first,
even though all this started with the Hit Man incident which is next in the series. It started when Hit Man needed my
home phone number in Texas so he asked the sysop of Chatterbox for it and it was given to him. Just a few weeks before
all this, Zak had logged on to this bbs using all of my info which I had given him permission to do. The sysop, being
extremely paranoid of everything (he's a christian), always voice validates everyone, so Zak was using my info so he could
get an account just to cause trouble there. Zak has a habit of using my alias when he causes trouble, as many sysops in 618
can testify.
A little about Chatterbox...It's run by fifteen year old, sligtly overweight Amanda Eyer, whose goes by the alias Chatty
and her DAD, Scott Eyer, who goes by the alias of Scott The Believer. It's one of those bbses where you're not allowed to
say any cuss words, not allowed to express your views because they may differ from the sysop's and of course you're not
allowed to express any disbelief in the existance of some guy named God. When I called there, I uploaded a GIF of the
bible being used as toilet paper (which should be included in this archive, by the way) and I made some innocent little post
about Jesus being dead.
Anyway, this didn't make either one of the sysops happy and both of them spent the day praying and calling up all
their brothers & sisters of the church to get a group prayer for me going or something like that. It turns out that I'm not the
only courrier for satan that they've dealt with in the past. Nobody likes them, their both always getting harrassing mail,
their bbs has been hacked and the user list (names & passwords) been downloaded and distributed.
Apparently, Chatty was gullible enough to give someone the access to view the user list and he/she captured it and
distributed it everywhere. I would include it in this file but it'd be pointless because all the passwords have been changed
and if you want a user's phone number, all you have to do is e-mail Scott The Believer for it and he'll give it out, no
problem. Oh yeah, that's what I was getting at. Scott gave my home voice number to Hit Man and this whole shebang
started up. Ah, but first you have to read some private mail from The ChatterBox, just to get an idea of how lame they
really are...
First here's an amusing piece of mail from Chucky #91 to Chatty #1, written on Monday, July 3, 1995:
I say well, because I tried to page you and you must be asleep. Today was great. Though my work is still cut out
ahead of me. Played volleyball at longacre for about 4 hours had fun. And things made me think.
Just standing there and seeing so many people. There were so many people on the courts you couldn't see the
sand, it was packed. However though there were tons oh people having fun, laughing [Cand screaming I noticed
things. On one court there were around 12 blacks and no whites. On the other court there were 6 whites and no
blacks. Side by side there they were all having fun, but not true interaction. Each side played their games and had
fun.
Standing around I noticed there were only two watching, out of around about 50, that were mixing. My and
another black girl. Every now and then I looked at the blacks staring at me in wonder, and I even got the sane looks
from the whites too. But the most beautiful thing I noticed that GOD was watching too. Though I felt a bit worried
that one of the two races wou
[Somehow the rest got cut off...The next mail is from an irate user.]
To.......... Chatty #1
Title....... Well
Pirate: Iam Death #4
Date: Mon Jul 03 00:17:27 1995
Then just delete all of us becouse I could care less about being on your board. I also want you to stop calling my
house, and all of my friends.
[And now you're about to see how Scott The Believer treats all of his users and how paranoid their family really is.
The following are responses Scott left to New User Feedback...]
To.......... Gif Master #60
Title....... Humm....
Pirate: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Wed Jun 21 22:43:52 1995
Who the heck are you? You say you are Jason, but when we called Jason's phone number, he said he NEVER called
here.
So, who are you? You are not jason, so who are you and WHY would you call in and say you were hm, HUH?
Scott The Believer
To.......... Demonchild #46
Title....... HI
From: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Mon Jun 12 06:09:48 1995
RE: DEMONCHILD
¯My name isDEMONCHILD I wish to join your bbs.
Well, hi there. The newuser letter said that you were to give me your REAL name here, not your handle. AND in the
info about you it asked for your handle first, then it asked for your FULL real name, and you and your "Brother is it" just
gave your real first name and not your FULL name. I asked Vertico to tell me what his real last name was, but he didn't do
it. MAybe he didn't even read my mail, or didn't know how to answer back to me. To reply back to this letter, when it
comes to the system prompt, just hit "A" for Autoreply to the author, and you will be replying to my mail. ALSO, to end
and send a mail, after you write one, just hit return (Enter) to get to the begining of a NEW line, and then type /S to save
your mail/letter/post. If you have any questions, just
E-mail me.
Scott The Believer
[Scott was probably just freaked out about his alias or something. Here's a few comments that were made in general
private mail:]
To.......... Markus #17
Title....... well,
Pirate: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Mon Jun 19 05:58:09 1995
Thanks my friend. Are you going this weekend to Promise Keepers? I'll talk to you later.
And no, I am not going to Promise Keepers. I am just not to hip to that movement. I think it just pumps you up, fires
you up, but really don't give you any real value for Christian Living. Case in point, Rick Taylor. Came back from there last
year, really fired up, wanted everyone to go. Then for about 6 months I never even saw him in Church, then maybe they
came once a month for awhile. Now look at them, up and quit the whole Church. I am just not sure PK is all it is cracked
up to be......
To.......... Lestat #76
Title....... humm...
Pirate: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Sun Jul 02 07:59:35 1995
umm.....I think it was two days ago.. you got me in chat...
that wasn't me it was my sister. I am not usually that hostile. Sorry if she angered you..
:)
Lestat
Well, I see you still have that line noise, huh? NO, I wasn't angry, and I didn't cut you off, I guess that call waiting or
line noise finally got the best of our comm programs, cause it cut us off automatically.
No problem here, I just couldn't figure out why I was getting a ring, ring from your phone. I should have gotten a busy
signal. See, the problem is that we have a VERY hostile user here that we deleted a couple of months ago, and she is still
trying to call in under fake accounts. That is why I was checking to see if you were calling from your phone, I am too cheap
to get caler ID. :)
[And the hostile user in question, of course, is Martini. Scott's big security thing is calling up a user while they're on
the phone to see if the phone is busy, just to make sure it's really them. Since a lot of people don't want to tie up their
phone, they get booted off when Scott does this. So that's what their private mail looks like. After I was deleted, I logged
back on to ask why. Here's what I wrote and also the responses that I got from both Chatty & Scott The Believer.]
Title:
Enter message now, max lines are 30
Enter '/HELP' for help.
[---=----=----=----=----=----=----=----]----=----=----=----=----=----=----=--]
Why'd I get deleted? Well, maybe that's not really the issue here. What I really want to know is why did you give out
my personal home phone number? When I first logged on here I used my real information thinking that you wouldn't give
it out to everyone but I guess I was wrong. Was I deleted because I wasn't home when you called my girlfriend? I'm sorry, I
was bbsing at a friend's house. I had no idea that wasn't allowed on here.
I guess it'd be best if you forwarded this to Scott The Believer since he's probably mostly responsible for all this, from
what I hear. I just want you to know that I don't appreciate any of this. It should also interest you that I happen to have
YOUR home voice number and could give that out to plenty of people. Did you know that the guy you gave my number to
threatens to fly down here and kill me all the time? If that were to actually happen, do you think that Scott would be legally
responsible for my death? I think so.
/s
[And the responses...]
Chatty #1 forwarded your mail to Scott The Believer #5
Scott The Believer #5 read your mail on 07/31/95
(1/2): Well...
Name: Chatty #1
Date: Mon Jul 31 07:33:49 1995
RE:
happen to have YOUR home voice number and could give that out to plenty of
Welll.. For your information, I already know that you have my #...I'm not stupid, I know who is all involved in a
plot against me. But I'm not worried. I don't apprecaite users loggin' you in as a new user ( referring to posts made on
Martini's board, oh.. You thougt I'd never see them, I have. ) and you have no clue...... Well.. I have to say I also don't think
it is in FCC regelations to give out any other users information on a post, or anything.
They are trying to contact FCC, I know this for a fact, as he is my freind. No, He doesn't have access to my user log,
and no, he won't ever. I made that mistake once with giving a guy that info, and someone loging on as him and getting all
the info.. Alright, so if I didn't give him the #, he would have gone and got it from someone else.... Trust me, he knows
how. I'm NOT sorry I am freinds with him. He's a nice guy, if you are on his good side, I'm just glad I am. And I wish that
Martini, and everyone else wasn't mad at me, I make an effort to try and be nice to all of my users, but she broke a rule,
and was in violateon of FCC. I also have to add, that I let my dad handle that, so she WOULDB'T get mad at me. I'm sorry I
gave your #. And I'm sorry you were deleted, but I was given the explination that it was because there have been people
logging in as your name. And yes we know who it was. I do read messeges on martini's boarde.... I'm not as dum as
everyone thinks.
øú. ôô .úø
øú. €h„ÅŘ .úø
[I've since changed my home phone number and the last four digits are the initials of a well-known phone company.
Get my new number, Greg, it's a challenge.]
E-mailing Chatty #1
Title:
Enter message now, max lines are 30
Enter '/HELP' for help.
[-=----=----=----=----=----=----=----]----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----]
Go back and read that message you sent me. Not one word of it made any sense.
Learn how to spell.
/s
Saving...Mail sent to Chatty #1
(2/2): MAN<
Name: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Mon Jul 31 17:17:37 1995
And just how did you get that number? From our users list? Humm? Hey, our home voice number isn't unlisted,
anyone can pick up a phone book and get it, BIG DEAL! You think you are giving out privedledged info, or something?
NOT! Having our phone number isn't anything, BUT making crank, obsene calls is ILLEGAL, and we are getting them, so
we have called the FCC in Washington to see what can be done to go back thru the phone records and catch whoever is
making all the calls. And to trace all new incoming calls also. We will catch whoever is responsible.
As for you being deleted, YES, I did that. For several reasons. 1: Stupid posts you made concerning GOD. 2:Stupid
GIF you uploaded. 3:hanging up on me when I pulled you into CHAT last nught. 4:Posts you made on Martini's board
asking what you could "DO" to Chatterbox. 5: Post you made giving out Hitmans info on Martini's board. 6: The main
reason, your association with the PLA! That right there was enough for me to delete you, I just deleted 2 other members of
the PLA from here too. As soon as you read this, you will be deleted again, and we turned on NEWUSER PASSWORD so
none of you can log back on as NEW. You are not welcome here, your association with Martini the JERK and your stupid
posts on her board has seen to that. Good-bye and good ridence....
Scott The Believer
[And when I try to respond, Scott chat's with me!]
Chat mode entered. You are chatting with Scott The Believer...
[ME:] I bet it'll be a major inconvience for the new users with that NUP on here. That's funny.
what is so funny about it?
I think you're lame. Will users still be able to log on if your phone line were to somehow disappear?
how will our phon line dissapear?
Oh, I don't know. If you piss off God he may disconnect service. What's so bad about the PLA?
I think he is getting mad now
[And he dropped carrier on me. Imagine that. While all this is going on, Apok0lyps has been coming through will
flying colors, capturing most of these posts, getting debates and voting questions started, and (him being the only one with
an account on Chatterbox) having a lot of conversations with Scott The Believer. The issue being debated mostly, was did
Scott have the right to give out my info. Here's a message that he posted on Roy's Place...]
6/7: ok..
Name: Apok0lyps #3 @1
Date: Mon Jul 31 09:13:08 1995
I got a question for everyone. When you go to your doctor, he/she and you have a sacred trust called the
doctor/patient relationship. This means that he can't/won't discuss ANYTHING about you with anyone else without your
permission.
The same things go on with you and your laywer. The only persons he can discuss your case with is other officers of
the court, and they are required byLAW to keep what they hear a secret.
Now we all know that these things get broken from time to time, but at leaset there are penalties in place to punish
those who break these trust. So my question is as follows: Shouldn't a sysop be bound by the same set of rules?
At least the ones a laywer uses. Your personal information is a very precious comoditity(sp) and when you entrust it
to someone, you expect them to honor your trust. What should happen to those who violate those trust??
Now stop and think of this situation: A sysop tells you you MUST leave correct info, and you will be voice
validated. You want access to his system, so you comply. He KNOWS your information is correct, and you are allowed on.
Next, I say you are making harassing phone calls to me, so I call some sysops looking for your phone number/real
name. I finally stumble across one who will tell me. I call you make threats. But the catch is you were never making those
calls to me. I just wanted your info. It may only work once with that sysop, but once is enough to ruin one life.
So now, go back to the voting booth and cast your vote what should happen to a sysop that would violate YOUR
trust.
[Here's a couple of replies to Apok0lyp's mail from Scott...]
(2/2): Legalities?
Pirate: Scott The Believer #2
Date: Tue Aug 01 20:22:49 1995
Here is a legal question. RBCP called me, thinking I would answer the phone, it was the 2nd time he had called, I did
answer it the first time. BUT the second time, I let my answering get it. BOOM, he called back in 2 minutes and played a
tape of WHAT my answering maching said, Which means he RECORDED it! And if I had answered it voice, he would have
been recording me, WITHOUT my consent. WHAT DOES the LAW say about that, HUH? If you are advising him, you
may want to talk to him about it. I am keeping that tape for any future possible needs. Just in case this don't just END now
peaceably. I am in favor of that option, how about you?
[In this reply, Scott is replying to his new & improved answering machine greeting which goes something like this:
"Hello! WARNING! This call is being TRACED by the phone company as we speak. (stutters) It is also being recorded,
copies of which are being furnished to the FCC so please speak clearly so we can hear every word you say...(beeeeeep!)"]
(1/2): Thank you,
Pirate: Scott The Believer #2
Date: Tue Aug 01 20:12:34 1995
I am glad you think I can be trusted cause I am older and a Christian. I really don't think what I did was that wrong, I
am sorry it has gotten blown out of proportion tho. It's not like I gave the number to someone I don't know either, I know
greg, he was at my house Sunday night and picked Chatty up to play Volleyball. He was NOT a total stranger I gave that
number to.
BUT I saw the post where you claim that HITMAN posted his address and his phone number, and it was NOT his
correct address or phone number. If you have it, please pass it to me, cause I don't believe it till I see it. We read all th e
posts (AND captured them) and I didn't see his correct address or phone number, except in RBCP's post. AND I still
believe he got it from MY users list. AND he is calling up here too, against your legal advise. He listened to my answering
machine, AND then posted what my machine said on Bogus Journey. that is really lame, he IS calling my house and Greg
also. All I can say is that it had better not go on much longer, or I am calling the police. This is the stupidest thing I have
ever seen. In all my years of BBSing, I have never seen such babies trying to cause trouble. AND RBCP posting my mail to
him and my CHAT MODE with him on Martini's board is just as lame, BUT I guess that is legal too, huh?
Maybe I should just go post ALL the PLA's phone numbers and address's in open posts on all the board I can, huh?
That would be fun, right? yea. AND that post about Satans BBS, 2 gigs of Adult files, then MY VOICE number, that just
about takes the cake. I want to know if you think this whole mess is about to END or it is really going to take calling the
police in to end this stuff? What do you think? Is it about over? What do you think will end it? Just want your thought on
this issue.....
(2/2): Wow,
Pirate: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Sun Jul 30 23:48:18 1995
I guess this thing with Martini not liking the Chatterbox and Amanda, and the fact that she forced us to delete her
from this BBS has finally gone over the edge. Whatever Greg did, it did NOT warrent the PERSON who stole our users list
to post his information in an open post for all to read. That is going WAY too far in my opinion, and very may well be
illegal. I am sure the harrasing phone calls are illegal. Anything I could do to help him get to the bottom of it, I would have
done for anyone including you if someone did that to you. AND I HOPE he does get to the bottom of it, and the police
catch the person responsible.
In the meantime, let me say this. I will try to keep your info as secure as possible, but I can't guarntee your privacy. If
the same situation came up, but he had needed your phone number to call and see if it was you or a faker that had done
that, I would probably give him your number for him to call and get to the bottom of it all. I can NOT guarentee that I will
never give your number out, it would depend on the situation. So if you want to stay on, it is ok, and if you want us to
delete you, thats ok too, no hard feelings either way. But I can't tie my hands by promising something that I can't keep. I
will just say that I will try to not give your info out, it would have to be a good reason for me to do that. So you let me know
what it is to be, and we will take care of it. We almost shut the board a few weeks ago because of user problems, and that is
still a possibility, so it may not matter anyway, huh?
Scott The Believer
(1/1): Humm...
Pirate: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Tue Aug 01 06:17:59 1995
what about closed systems that only allow certain people access? How do they do that? Are you saying we MUST
allow anyone on as a user, weither we want to or not? If I called Martini's board, she would be required to let me on as a
user? I don't know about all those legalities, yes, If I refused to let someone on just because they were Black or Japeneese,
I would probably be sued for it. BUT I do know that RBCP was deleted for posts and actions he did here, for his attitude
about this board. ZAK and Zensless1 both TOLD me to delete them unless I could guarntee then 100% security, that I
would NEVER EVER let out their info. They asked me to delete them if I could not guarntee that, so I did delete them at
their request. You on the other hand, I have NEVER had a problem with, so even tho you are PLA, you are welcome here. I
only delete a user that I have a real problem with and then only after I warned them about it. But you don't have to worry,
I have had NO problem with you.
But I would like to know one thing. Why is it so wrong for me to give out a to post a users info like he did in an open
post? Where did he get that info for one thing? And why is it ok to post that in an open post, yet I get raked over the coals
for giving out 1 phone number to 1 user? What about systems that have 20 co-sysops, that all have access to the users list?
So would it have been alright if I just made hitman a co-sysop, and gave him access to ALL the users info? I just don't
understand this, it is beyond me how everyone thinks I did something wrong. I see nothing wrong with what I did, BUT I
see all kinds of wrong with RBCP posting info in a post. I just don't get it....
Scott The Believer
(1/1): Redbox...
Pirate: Scott The Believer #5
Date: Mon Jul 31 06:22:53 1995
Well, there is other factors that you don't know yet about Redboxchilipeper. We have always considered his account
VERY suspicious. Calling from texas, then he wouldn't give us his voice number to validate him for NOTHING 2 months
ago. so we deleted him then. NOW 2 months later he calls and freely gives us his number. I heard he posted a post on
Martinis board asking what he could "DO" to the chatterbox BBS. Yesterday, he called our board, made some rather rude
post concerning GOD, saying he is dead, etc, Uploaded a GIF showing a toilet with the Bible being used as toilet paper,
knowing we are Christians, he was trying to get under our skin, IF IT WAS EVEN HIM CALLING. See, we still consider his
accound a possible fake account. While he was on-line, I called his data phone, busy. BUT immediatly when we broke
contact, it was still busy. Was it him, possibly not. So I called his voice number, got his wife. She said RBCP wasn't home,
and that he does all his BBSing from his house, so it wasn't him, but someone else calling in using his name. Probably the
same person who stole out user list. when he was on-line, I pulled him into chat too, as soon as he saw that I was wanting
to talk, hd immediatly hung up on me. NOW after all this went on, then hit-mans story about redbox posting HIS info in a
post, hey, I didn't feel very concerned about keeping his phone number private. AS a matter of fact, I deleted him from our
system. And I really don't feel bad about giving Hitman his phone number, sorry if you feel I did the wrong thing.
As for our user list being an inside job, you are partially correct. We think it was ripped off by "A Girl" who started
dating a Guy. This guy was on our board, good friend of Chattys, and had a 255 access. She had several friends who she
had given 255's to. well, this Girl logged on as this Guy, cause she had found out his password to get onto the system. Once
on as him, with a 255, she got the users list. Simple as pie. NOW NOBODY has a 255 but Chatty and me. And we have
proof that they were calling in as other people, using our users list to log in as whoever they wanted to, and stir up trouble.
Heck, they even tried to log in as ME and Chatty, using our Passwords that were ONLY in that users list, except we
changed them. I tell you what, weither we shut this bbs down or keep it running is still up in the air. How far hitman's
problem goes may deceide that for us. AND we have also been getting phone calls at Midnight, and 3 AM, hang-ups, alot of
them, and we are thinking of calling the phone company and let them trace them. This whole thing is really stupid, and my
wife has had about al that she will take of this crap. It might turn ugly, who knows. But I still say that I can't promise total
security for your info, but I will use my discression as to who would get it, and it would have to be a darn good reason, fair
or not?
Scott The Believer
[Ha, my WIFE?? That'll be the day. (He talked to Colleen Card.) Anyways, during all the conversing, Apok0lyps
convinced Scott that perhaps a public apology would put a stop to the harrassment.]
Date: 4:23 am Wed Aug 2, 1995
Number : 121 of 121
From: Apok0Lyps
Base : Private Mail
To : Redboxchilipepper
Refer #: None
Subj: apology
Replies: None
Stat: Normal
Origin : Local
Ok, after some masterful calls, I convinced STB that the harassment should stop, provided he APOLOGIZES to you
and the PLA, and also agrees to NEVER give out a users info without that users consent.
Now, if you ask me, I think Scott has seen the error of his ways (halajueia brother, ok I can't spell it) and should be
left alone. But good ole Greg.....well, he (IMHO) could apologize all day and get no mercy.
It was cool, I told STB that he would most likley get harassed day and night for a long time unless he said sorry. He
figured it would "just go away in time" but I told him all about Chris Tomkinson and he then replied with "well, what do
you think I should say in this apology?" :) He was gonna mail it to you on Roy's Place, but I told him a PUBLIC POST on
his board would be much better. It's in you xfer section. CYA
apok0lyps
[And the following appeared in Chatterbox's System Annoncements sub...]
< Q-scan And The Sysop Now Speaks 1 - 4 msgs >
4/4: Apology!
Pirate: Scott The Believer #2
Date: Tue Aug 01 22:40:53 1995
Chatty and I want to apologize to Redboxchilipeper for what went on this week. We gave out his home phone number
to another user, and being new sysops didn't realize that we were doing a great injustice. Looking back, we see that we
should NOT have given it out, and we will never give out any user info without their consent FIRST. Of course our user list
had been hacked and is all over the area anyway, we didn't think it was that bad a thing to do. BUT we are sorry this
happened, and we will never do that again. Hope this satisifies the PLA, RBCP, and anyone else who had doubts about our
security. As of NOW, Chatty and I are the ONLY 2 who have access to the user list, and it will remain that way. Security
will be tight from now on.
Sorry RBCP........
Scott The Believer
And Chatty
[1] [And The Sysop Now Speaks]
Read:(1-4,^4),? :
[My reply to it...]
Fine, apology accepted, and a good move on your part, as well as mine, I guess. I suppose that I'll apologize for the
anti-religeous comments and GIFs I uploaded to your system then. I promise you that I will make a point never to call
your bbs or your voice number again. From everything I've heard, though, a lot of people don't like you because you're
both so big brotherish about the way you run your bbs, so if you receive annoying calls, be assured that they're NOT from
me or Zak or any other member of the PLA.
One thing I think you didn't realize while rattling off my unlisted home phone number was that Mr. Carson who's
such a fine citizen on your bbs, has been threatening to fly down to Texas, find me, rape my girlfriend and shoot me. While
I know he's probably all talk and in reality works the graveyard shift in a crappy motel, that's not exactly the type of person
I want having my phone number. The day after you gave it out, Greg started calling me and threatening me every time he
received a prank call. I hate to break this to Greg, but I'm not the only one who hates him. Anyway, I'm rambling, have a
nice life without me in it anymore. You should take off that NUP because that's really a hassle for legitimate users and I
heard some weirdo a few years back got nailed to a tree for suggesting a NUP.
Peace,
RBCP
[And that's more or less the end. The next day I called up Bogus Journey, one of the few cool boards in 618, to see
this public post by Chatty. Or was it STB? They use the same accounts...]
48/50: hey RBCP
Name: Chatty #178 @6851
Date: Tue Aug 01 19:02:10 1995
You are the cool one, aren't you. I had a guy tell me you wasn't making any Voice calls to Illinois, guess he was wrong,
huh? I guess it really takes something simple, stupid and pathetic to entertain you, huh? We got capture files from
Martini's board, and here. Really boring reading, I must say. Too bad you (and the rest of your PLA losers) don't have a
life.....
Scott The Believer
áogus Journey ááS
(618)656-7266 23« Hours/Day 14.4k WWIV 4.23
IceNet @6851 TAZnet @6863 TerraNET @6863
[Sometime during all this Zak, who at the time still had a valid account on Chatterbox, left feedback to Scott saying,
"Somebody just called my house and hung up on me! Can I have your user list?" and he got deleted for it. Also, a few other
users (Zenzeless?) were deleted because they told Scott if their security couldn't be guaranteed on that system, they didn't
want accounts there.]
I really meant what I said about not bothering Scott anymore, by the way. Since he was smart enough to make a
public apology, I suppose I can respect that enough to leave him alone. He will continue to be harrassed daily, though. Not
because I'm encouraging or doing it myself, but because of the way he treats people who call there. There's nothing I can
do about that. So Scott, lighten up a little. As Colleen Card keeps pointing out to me, Scott didn't apologize because he was
sorry, he apologized because he was being harrassed and wanted it to stop. Oh and if anyone ever wants to give the
Chatterbox BBS a call to talk about good, wholesome, christian and family values, you can reach their bbs at 618-2778040. And of course you shouldn't ever harrass these people because they have the power of the lord behind him. And
although I would never give out their home voice phone number in a mag that's distributed nationally, you could probably
dial 618-555-1212 and ask directory assisstance for Scott's number in Belleville and they would give it to you, but I
wouldn't encourage that either.
The Hillbilly of 618
In the above section you heard alot about a guy named Greg Carson aka The Hit Man and how he was so hard up for
my home voice number. (It's been awhile, by the way, and he still hasn't used all of his amazing resources and money to
get my new phone number.) About 75% of the 618 users don't like Greg. It started in a post where he started going off
about how much money he had, how nice of a house he had and the nice cars and job he had. I THINK that's how it all
started, I'm not really responsible for this war, I just contributed a lot to it. I never got around to doing a public records
search to see if he really owned all these amazing toys or if his rich daddy just bought it all for him. Of all the posts to lose,
I lost that one and I'm too lazy to go look for it, but here's a bunch of other posts to give you an idea of the whole story.
Keep in mind that this guy is supposed to be 21...
31/78: come on BABIES
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Jul 22 12:42:31 1995
You dont Know anything about ME! Before FUCKING with a PRO go look me up I will be waiting with FIREPOWER
and wont be the first person I SHOT! yes think what you want BUT I REALLY am CRAZY!!! Ill FUCKING KILL YOU!
Open your mouth and put it on the sidewalk and then stomp the back of you head ank kill you! I am laughing at this!! I
LOVE IT! COME GET ME I have been BORED for so LONG-Get everybody you can more for my 2 Dogs. My rottweiler
will love it!
SEE YOU BABIES AROUND
29/78:
Name: Zak #4
Date: Sat Jul 22 03:16:12 1995
If the hit man keeps it up, I;ll just have to *32 him.
32/78: Hey, asswipe
Name: Stormhawk #8
Date: Sun Jul 23 14:39:36 1995
You think you're so cool, just because of what you have, not because of what you are. I respect people, not possesions.
When you prove yourself worthy of being respected, I MIGHT respect you. By the way, large dogs don't scare me, can you
say PEPPER MACE? and also, I'm infinitely more mature than you, lose.
37/78:
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Mon Jul 24 23:53:41 1995
Hit Man, I'm in Texas and can mess up your life just as well as anyone in Illinois. Will your rotweiler gallop down
here and bite my ass?
38/78:
Name: Zak #4
Date: Tue Jul 25 02:06:11 1995
He's rich, remember he can afford to hire a rotweiller in texas to go bite you.
40/78: OK
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Tue Jul 25 20:09:23 1995
RE:
BY: Redboxchilipepper #11
Im am getting scared! Blow me awAy-Kill me-It wont phase me! Because you wont do a FUCKING thing you Loser!!!!
Again I will repeat myself- BRING IT ON! or just SHUT THE FUCK UP
Show me your actions not your Pathetic WORDS!!
42/78: Hit Man
Name: Maynard #19
Date: Wed Jul 26 00:15:43 1995
Is that man sane?
Guess he has lots o faith in his dog.
Hey, maybe his dog will pay his phone bills!
43/78: Ok DICKHEAD
Name: Pepsi-Man #32
Date: Wed Jul 26 04:42:38 1995
RE: Hit Man
BY: Maynard #19
You dont know about The Real Greg Carson reputation Do you people? He shoot someone in Cahokia about 3 years
ago... A part of a gang in O'fallon which the cops could hardly break up. So many friends that he never had to do any
fighting. His friends did all the deeds untill one stud make fun of his brohter-He shoot that bastard! WEll thats the
O'fallon rumor. As for that number its a HOTEL... I guess he sure got you guys!
46/78:
Name: Zak #4
Date: Wed Jul 26 09:12:10 1995
Yes, he really got us. I REALLY put faith in a number he posted himself. Hey, Hit Man, i can shoot a chololate chip off
the tip of your weiner from 100 yards! so ha! hey butthead, gangs are cool or something. huh uhh yeah
48/78:
Name: Zensless1 #13
Date: Wed Jul 26 14:19:16 1995
RE: OK
BY: The Hit Man #27
I shouldnt sayt anything and just let you go into debt for the next decade of yourlife but you really dont wanna fuck
with Zak or RBCP cause they will seriously fuck your little world over....
49/78:
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Wed Jul 26 16:58:27 1995
Maybe we should give Hit Man Jack The Ripper's phone number. JTR used to have the same attitude towards us.
54/78: Some more
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Thu Jul 27 19:25:06 1995
Did you read that post! See how stupid it is, REALLY! Just do it! Blow up my house?Fuck my wife?into debt because
of Zak or RBCP? Just do it! Heres your point to show all of us in BBS Land what you are made of! Come on pussy! Will
that give you some more reasons!
63/78: no hard feelings.....
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Jul 29 01:15:53 1995
I want to ask a question though....WHO IS RBCP AND ROY? And who is THE PLA? I just would like to know....Well I
guess I will see you all around...
66/78:
Name: Zensless1 #13
Date: Sat Jul 29 09:44:28 1995
You will find out soon enough....
69/78: let's see..
Name: Apok0lyps #5
Date: Sat Jul 29 10:41:04 1995
You scream and yell, threaten everyone here, and people are supposed to tell you where/invite you to their party??
I think not. Disturbing shit is all fine and well, but noone wanting you around them is the price you pay.
Oh well, gotta sleep, had days keggin on the morrow.
70/78: You
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Jul 29 16:38:17 1995
You are the ones calling me names! Bring your threats to reality! You are the ones who invited me and now will not
tell me where it is! Just like kiddies, ALL TALK!! Keep on talking, I guess you guys are good at it. I got work to do-Month
End-Be back when it slows down!
71/78:
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Sat Jul 29 22:50:39 1995
Hitman, read the issues of PLA and you'll have a pretty good idea of what's in store for your future. And then some.
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Mon Jul 24 23:55:04 1995
So, somebody post Hit Man's info so I can get te remote access call forwarding set up and going to 1-900-999-GINA.
7/21: la la la
Name: Master #23
Date: Wed Jul 26 00:49:01 1995
Name: The Hit Man #27
RN : Greg Carson
Strt: 140 Ludwig Drive
City: Fairview Hts, IL 62208 (USA)
PH : 618-398-7124
Datp: 618-398-7189
Age : 21 M (12/18/73)
Comp: Other
PW :
Last: 07/25/95 07/18/95
Msgs: P=31 E=4 F=5 W=5 D=0
Log : 20 0 I=0
UpDn: U=0=0k D=0-0k
Baud: 14400
SL : 60
DSL : 60
Uedit :
[That was the information that Hit Man put in his account on Martini's BBS. After finding out that Greg Carson had
put down his real work number, I gave directory assisstance a call to get his home phone number, got some other basic
info, turned it into an ANSI and posted it a few times...]
Phone Losers of America Special Report
The Greg Carson Fan Club Newsletter!
July 30, 1995
Work Information:
Fairfield Inn, 140 Ludwig Drive, Fairview Heights 62208
618-398-7124 or 618-398-7189
He works there in the mornings. When he's not working, annoy the boss & other employees. $59.95 a night/single?
Ripoff!
STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES WHEN WE GIVE AMERITECH A CALL TO REVEAL ALL OF HIS PHONE
ACCOUNT INFORMATION!!!
Home Information:
Greg & Carolyn Carson (wife)
34 Concord (he OWNS it! :), Fairview Heights, IL
618-394-1774
Other Information: Hitman's brand of computer is a Smith & Wesson, his wife is extremely overweight and wears
hair curlers,his wrotweiler's name is FiFi and Greg likes to put on leather and take him for walks.
73/78: Alright Free Advertising
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sun Jul 30 14:22:13 1995
Yes The Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Fairview Heights! Go stay, WEll I guess you POOR boys cant stay there! WEll
there is the trailway motel in Fairview for you!
77/78:
Name: Zak #4
Date: Mon Jul 31 02:57:58 1995
Nice fucking try hit man. We love you! You've been victimized by the PLA! Oh yeah, tomorrow, I'm carding a room at
the Fairfield Inn and I'm going to steal a towel..
8/21: Personally,
Name: Martini #1
Date: Wed Jul 26 01:04:47 1995
I don't know why he thinks he is so cool... Oooooh wow, a $60,000 house, yipee, our house cost $220,000. He's
probably just trailer trash bull shitting his way around to boost his ego. Most likely he has low self esteem and calling
people childish names, and other frivolish words makes him feel strong, so just let him do his little thing. People get their
kicks in awkward ways. Although his isn't awkward, it's just flat out pathetic. Hey hit man, you should go to this party
coming up on Saturday, then see how tough you are... It's just an invitation, not a threat.
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Wed Jul 26 17:02:00 1995
Bring your gunz, hit man, you hillbilly!
Name: Spastic Chicken #2
Date: Sat Jul 22 11:56:19 1995
shut up you stupid, harmless, low-life fuck...
4/28: HA HA HA
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Jul 22 13:23:32 1995
Look at yourself-Your the STUPID LOW-LIFE!!!!
Find me please and then have a 9mm hole in you!!!
NO I would rather you desroy something and then have you ASS thrown in Jail-That would be KICK-ASS! Yeah thats
my Plan
5/28: Question for all My loves
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Jul 22 13:27:28 1995
Does anyone else like PISSING people off? I love it- Making people so MAD Getting under there skin, Knowing that
they are being plotted and talked about in ways to hurt him(me)I love it that you all are being so kind and talking about
me. I bet you all get together and say-Lets blow his cars up, destroy this, hurt him-I got insurance-I also have friends-Yes
me The biggest DICKHEAD! I have loyal friends! Thats why I am the HIt Man! Thats is why I am An Asshole to......WELL
ASSHOLES!
Respect is earned NOT GIVEN!!!!
7/28: Play with myself
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Mon Jul 24 14:25:04 1995
I will repeat again-HOw old are? I am only 21-ok 21
I am very proud of myself! I have went through more changes with my lifestyle in 5 months that it will take you 10
years!
So you see YES I am cool! You know it! The Elite(you will always think of me)
9/28: good
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Tue Jul 25 20:21:03 1995
Good Im waiting! YOu people should stop before it gets out of hand! I will shoot you! Dont Fuck your life up because
of me! Chill out!
Fucking LOSERS!!
10/28: Heh, I'm laughing at you..
Name: Martini #1
Date: Wed Jul 26 01:08:31 1995
Posting that, is a very big mistake, on your part. The stupidity of some people overwhelms me. Please, keep going,
you entertain me like no other can possibly do.
13/28:
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Wed Jul 26 17:03:02 1995
Are you going to fly down here and shoot me, Hit Man? I'll give you my address.
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Thu Jul 27 19:45:37 1995
I will be coming down there in about 2 or 3 months ok E-mail it to me!
17/28: Where is the party
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Thu Jul 27 19:47:36 1995
I need to know where the party is! I hope I can get on here to find out where it is....I could not get on long enough the
other days to read a anything. Just kept logging me off, Sorry about after the 10th time you get sick of trying.
Try and call back later on Friday to see where the party is..
18/28:
Name: Zak #4
Date: Fri Jul 28 11:38:54 1995
Right? You think we're gonna tell you where the party is after you're showing your iq as 12 and being manly and
threatening to shoot people in the butts?
4/15: Welfare SUCKS
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Thu Jul 20 22:58:55 1995
Section 8 housing to be specific! One of my friends has a 250,000 dollar house but cant sell it even at 125,000 and
was willing to get rid of it to me for just what he owes(around 89,000) Down with them all!!
16/20:
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Wed Jul 26 17:04:28 1995
Yes, he certainly does have friends, he just has to loan them all money to keep them. Nobody will be his friend unless
he takes them out to eat and buys them stuff.
17/20: Sure
Name: Dark Shadow #14
Date: Thu Jul 27 03:04:09 1995
why not, after all, "Big Bad Hitman has lots of money. Hit man can buy life."
uh, huh, "Taz hate Water!!" too...
6/11: Digging my grave
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sun Jul 30 15:20:37 1995
I just keep digging myself a bigger hole everytime I call-I just will have to be stopped by some force! A big box of
pepper should do it! HA Ha Ha
See I just cant stop! What should I do? I need help! No one can do anything about it! I am who I am! An Asshole to
Assholes!
My job is to PISS you all off and I think I will have to retire after this job....I am doing to good of a JOB!!!
9/11:
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Sun Jul 30 18:50:40 1995
By the time it's over (will it ever be over now?) the Hit Man will be sorry that he started all this. You don't really
NEED that bank account do you, Greg?
(1/1): Hello
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Jul 29 01:58:47 1995
What did I do? I just would like to hear it from your own words,
Please be honest-dont say because your an Asshole, Fuckhead...etc
I want to know what I did! Why are YOU so mad, or maybe your not mad but what did I do that was so bad? I did not
brag, everyone was telling me I was cool so I agreed and showed them how cool I was. Whats wrong with that?
Wheres the party? My dogs are tough tho, but a gun does do a better job!
Wheres the party? no one will tell me!
[I guess finally he'd had enough and asked Martini to delete him...]
(2/2): Delte me
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sun Jul 30 19:58:16 1995
I want to be deleted!
[But she didn't delete him and the war just kept going on...]
34/35: You know..
Name: Martini #1
Date: Tue Aug 01 18:29:59 1995
You guys want to know how much of a man hit man really is? He says, go ahead, i'd like to see you fuck with me.
Then everyone fucks with him, and he runs to the police or FCC who ever and crys. No only that, but he is so much of a
man, he had his wife call my house. Not him his WIFE. HAHAHAH, that's a real man if I've ever seen one.
37/39: crys
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Aug 05 12:31:04 1995
I wasnt crying, My wife called you on her own! I wasnt even there.
See I want you to realize something-Every action has a reaction!
Did you think I would stand by and do NOTHING! I dont have anything against the PLA or anyone of you BBSers.
You did something and I did something.
I am not going to do anything else, I should act my age and not bring myself so low. Yes I was being immature. So
what-You are doing the same thing, but thats not right, I will stop and I have stopped. I just want you all to realize that.
C-ya
38/39: No..
Name: Martini #1
Date: Sat Aug 05 20:51:41 1995
I wasn't being immature. I was not pranking you, or chatty or whoever. I don't know how your lovely wife even got
my number, I don't know why your wife even had anything to do with me. Of course she didn't. But I think she's very
manly. Especially when she hung up on me.
39/39: She isnt here
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sun Aug 06 07:39:34 1995
Shes not here to defend herself but I dont know what went on. Whatever happened already happened. Its over, who
cares. Life goes on.
-She told me you hung up on her- Whats it matter Martini-forget it
33/34: ok Let me clear some things up now
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Aug 05 12:20:08 1995
The people I saw on welfare where drinking outside there house and would be up at midnight drunk walking the
streets. NOt everyone on WElfare is doing it but some are. Another thing I did work for a farm(Keller farms) and would 10
hour days. Horse Radish fields, hay bails, etc... Also I know what hard work is! I was in A Bootcamp for 4 months where I
chopped down trees for 8 hours-I got blisters at first but not after a few weeks of it. Hard work got me to where I am
today! Making you all mad was that one part I still need to work on, I like pissing people off and it I a part of me I dont
like, It may
34/34: It may
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Sat Aug 05 12:22:39 1995
Getting too long....It may have something to do with my job, Always being nice and hearing people bitch all the time
but I am who I am. Well I guess I will talk to you later. C-YA
[Notice a slight change in attitude from just a few weeks. You can feel him beginning to break down... For some
reason, Hitman kept e-mailing me as unknown. Here is a poor attempt at an apology by him in private e-mail on Bogus
Journey...]
(1/1): No Im sont
Name: >UNKNOWN<
Date: >UNKNOWN<
I mean no Im not! If someone came to my house they would be, but I never threatened anyONE! I want to say Im
Sorry for whatever I did to YOU RBCP- Im sorry-ok-Im not looking for anything in return but I just want you to
understand that I guess Im just too GOOD at the BASHING SUBBoy did I piss somepeople off just by bashing them on a BASHING SUB!
Well I guess I will talk to you soon.
C-YA
[He's not sorry, he's just sick of us harrassing is co-workers. And my reply...]
[---=----=----=----=----=--=----=----]----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----]
Private annonymous e-mail isn't good enough. A public post, preferably on Martini's BBS, at LEAST one paragraph
long and apologizing not only to me, but Martini, the PLA(H) and everybody else you threatened.
40/40: so the hit man decides to finally call back...
Name: Redboxchilipepper #11
Date: Sun Aug 06 09:26:18 1995
I thought he'd just contiune to be sneak and fool us by calling in as the Pepsi Man, but I guess not. It certainly is
amazing how his attitude towards us has changed in just a few weeks. He can be as nice as he wants to now, but I still
remember the posts that said, "FUCK YOU BABIES! Bring it on, I'll fucking shoot you all! You're all talk! You'll never do
anything. You'll never get my info. I'm flying down to Texas to kill you both!" Hmmmm, should I show mercy? I think not.
Have a nice life, Hitman. You know you're lucky that the Ameritech office is so busy lately and I'm too impatient to sit
around on hold for you. But just wait... You made a major mistake.
Perhaps a public apology, a few paragraphs long, similar to STB's would change my mind...
49/50: My conversation with Mrs. Hit Man.
Name: Martini #177 @6851
Date: Mon Aug 07 01:41:29 1995
Mrs. Hit Man: I have a proof that you've been pranking me, blah blah blah, hacking bbses blah blah blah, 42 calls
have orginated from your house telling me that my husband will pay, blah blah blah.
Martini: go to hell
Mrs. Hit Man: OH that's it, I'm calling the FCC NOW! (click)
It was amusing.
50/50: who has 42 calls
Name: The Hit Man #370 @6851
Date: Mon Aug 07 17:24:22 1995
I will not go to your level and prank you! If(And I am Saying IF)
I did anything it would be to go to your house and shit on your face!
Again it IF I did anything witch I wont-YOu are not worth my time anymore ok Budweiser! Hasta Manana
Enter message now, max lines are 60
Enter '/HELP' for help.
[---=----=----=----=----=----=----=----]----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----]
Nope, that's not it, Hit Man. It's not that you don't want to go down to her level, it's just that you know whatever you
do will come back on you 100 times worse. That's really it, isn't it? You know, for supposedly being 21, you're not that
bright.
[Finally, on August 7th, he called my bbs under the false alias of Marlboro Man and we got to chat, face to face...]
ME: Why?
HM: I have no reason-just wanted to ask what yoyu where talking to me about earlier when I couldnt respond
ME: I was just trying to annoy you but you put me on hold on two lines at once. That's never happened to me before.
HM: I am sorry it gets busy around here-like right now I am on the phone with one of my guests
ME: I could help you! I'll forward all of your calls somewhere else so somebody else can answer the phone for you.
Deal?
HM: Well I cant do that then I will lose alot ob business
ME: No you won't, I'll talk to your customers for you! I'll get things straigtened out over there.
HM: Ok sure no really I wish I could but it wouldnt be good,
ME: Well, I like surprising people and maybe I'd do it anyways just as a surprise to help you..
HM: Wow you will help me-WHY?
ME: I'm a nice guy.
HM: I am sure you are-but I got the wrong impression then-I thought you didn’t like me?
ME: Of course I like you. I just think you should go public with a big apology to everybody and that would settle
everything!
HM: Well I am not the only one that should be apoligizing then, What about all the bullshit eveyone else said, I was
only responding back to them
ME: Well, how about a big public apology to me then for threatening to fly down to Texas and rape my girlfriend and
shoot me?
HM: Ok I am sorry about that=-I went balistic for a min. That was over the phone
ME: I know it's over the phone I still have the recordings. Anyways, I was saying a PUBLIC post apology and I might
leave you alone, just like Scott.
HM: You have me email-why not post it-You must have captured it
ME: Of course, but it wouldn't be as personal.
HM: ok I gotcha I will apologize to you personally, it wasnt a cool thing to do but as for everyone else they need to
apologize to or I will just stop its over and done with but I will apologize to you public to show no hard feelings
ME: On Martini's bbs too. And the other people who've bothered you have nothing to do with me. They can prank
you, but I can send your calls to Sweeden or turn off your line or ship toilets COD.
HM: I understand-pranks are no big deal I have *69 or traceing going on, wont work for you since your out of state
but I can deal with it, I will say sorry to you and to your girlf=riend- also how did youu know this acout was me?
ME: It was quite obvious. But the dead givaway was when you accidentally used the password UBITCH one day.
HM: oh yes I remember, well I have so many I didnt know what I used, Good memory how did you know that
password, Martini TOLD YOU- SEE that is bogus-for real
ME: What's bogus? I have sysop access there.
HM: Nevermind, I didnt know that, Nvermind- I see you got your own sub now
ME: Of course, I made it myself this morning out of boredom. I have to go wax my shoes now.
[Looks like he was about to go off about sysops giving out personal info and try to say I'm no better than Scott The
Believer until I told him I had sysop access there. UBITCH is the password he used on Cocktail Lounge and he accidentally
used it on his fake account on my board so that's what he was talking about there. A mere 15 minutes later, I called
Martini's BBS to find the following public post...]
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Mon Aug 07 20:21:13 1995
I want to apoligize to RBCP and his girlfriend for some things I said over the phone. I was having a bad day I guess
and will publicly say IM Sorry. Also I want to say Sorry for some of the things I said to RBCP over posts. The Bashing got
pretty heavy and I think it got out of control. Talk to you all Later
[Here is what I replied with...]
Ha, what a dork. He thinks it's that easy just because it was for Scott The Believer. That little chat session you had,
Hit Man, was with my eight year old little brother and I beat him up for making you think that'd I'd actually ever leave you
alone for a minute. Wait, I don't have an eight year old little brother so that must have been me.
Nah.... I don't thinkthat apology sounded very sincere. I think not. Nope, Hit Man, you're in for a life of misery.
Sorry, no soap. Maybe next time you won't be so stupid. I'll upload a copy of my chat log with Hit Man in it and the funny
e-mail he sent me on here after he wrote this message so everyone else can enjoy it, too. He actually asked me to erase his
info from when I posted it awhile back. Hmmmm, let me see if I can figure out the commands to do that.
[Then, just to be mean, I accidentally post that ANSI again with all of his personal information on it. When I had
first logged on there, I had gotten the this mail from Hit Man...]
(2/2): ok I got one request
Name: The Hit Man #27
Date: Mon Aug 07 20:11:55 1995
Please Delete my info posted on the 2 subs(or anywhere else you posted it)
The HIt Man
[And the Hit Man story has ended. Not exactly a good apology compared to Scott The Believer's, but hey, he tried,
right? I really have no intentions of spending all my free time bothering this guy so Hit Man, don't worry about me unless I
get REALLY bored. Apology not accepted, I just have better things to do. It's hard to believe all this shit happened in just a
few weeks... (Five bucks says nobody is still reading this issue because they all fall asleep by now...) Now get ready to log
on to the lamest bbs system you've ever seen. The lamest in 618? Yes, but worse...It's the lamest bbs in the entire WORLD.
I CHALLENGE anyone to find a lamer bbs than the one you're about to see and send me captures of it. That's a DARE!]
TH• äXiœä welcomes you to TWi$TäD RäAœiTY (The Elite Phreekers of 618...)
úWARNINGú úWARNINGú úWARNINGú THE SYSOP OF THiS BBS iS NOT RESPONSiBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE
DONE TO YOUR SYSTEM. ALL E-MAiL ON THiS BBS iS ViEWED BY THE SYSOP AND POSSiBLY OTHERS. ALL FiLES
ON THiS BBS ARE FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. OWNING THESE FiLES iS LEGAL, THE USE OF THEM
HOWEVER, IS NOT.
Do not upload commercial software
Do not upload a virus or trojan horse file without telling me
Do not annoy other users and expect them not to annoy you back
Do not hold the sysop responsible for damages to your computer or your actions after reading anything on this
BBS. This means, if you read how to blow up a house, don't do it. This BBS is for informational purposes only. In yer
feedback to -=LaXVaXEN=-, please include the following information. If you do not include this information, chances are
yer gonna be deleted! INCLUDE:
¯ Your Three Newest Software Titles
¯ Your REAL phone number, (You will be voice validated!)
¯ Any Groups you are associated with
¯ Other handles of yours
¯ What you are looking for (Messages, Files, Whatever!)
¯ Two other boards and their phone numbers, (HPaVC)
Include this crap and you'll be fine. Unless of course I decide you don't have the potential of being a good user, in
which case you will be deleted...
WELCOME! TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO SOME OF OUR FILE AREAS USE CALL-BACK VERIFICATION
BY TYPING 'X' AT THE MAIN MENU. FOLLOW THE MENUS FROM THERE.
Hello! Welcome to TWiSTED REALiTY BBS. This is most likely your first time on the new BBS. We were previously
known as the Hackerz Union. The board was popular, however, we had our problems. Now we are back with OVER ONE
GIGABYTE of files. The topics include: Hacking Phreaking Anarchy Virus Cracking ANSi
And there is much, much more! We encourage users to upload as well as download. To get access to some of our file
library, please use call-back verification located in the external programs section of the BBS. The system uses a credit
system, so please upload rather than just asking for credits.
Currently there are three membership plans:
-NEW USER: 20 minutes\day
3K free credits\day
Access to our small HD library
-STANDARD USER: 120 minutes\day
10K free credits\day
Access to larger file areas
-VIP USER: 180 minutes\day
15K free credits\day
Access to all files
RULES:
1. Go to USER BASHING to post flames.
2. Do not upload virii or trojans.
3. Attempting to hack this BBS will result in imediate and permanent deletion of your account.
4. You must give us a correct phone number. Otherwise, no access for you!
5. HAVE PHUN!!!!
[Feel the cheese, feel the lameness of this total wanna-be phreaker bbs. I ask you, what kind of real phreak bbs voice
validates their users?? I've bbsed all over the country, seen just about every level of lameness you can imagine, but this is
absolutely the worst "phreak" bbs I've ever come across, even worse than my own. And the sad thing is that I had a hard
time getting access to it and I finally had to resort to using a fake alias. A few years ago I had called this board when it was
called The Hacker's Union and it was sort of lame back then but at least the sysop didn't try to mislead everyone into
thinking it was a big-time hacker bbs.
The sysop's name is Phillip Wool, alias Mr. Hack aka L•XV•X•N and totally not liked by pretty much the entire 618
area code. I was at one time last year) considered a "good citizen" but just to see if I could stir things up, I left Zak a piece
of e-mail on his bbs:
Attr : Read
To : Zak #19
From : Redboxchilipepper #59
Date : Sat Dec 10 1994 02:22 pm PST
Hey, Zak, I think I've just about had it with this board. First, the sysop, Mr. Hack starts hacking the users' accounts
and now he's switching to lame VBBS and not giving you access. Mr. Hack's lame questions about ESS are more than
annoying. I think maybe I'll call the Ameritech billing office there and shut off his line, his parent's line and his
grandparents line. Then I'll blow up his house. Gee, I hope he's not watching right now. Man, this is about the lamest,
wanna-be hacker board I've ever seen in my life. "Hey, RBCP, keep uploading those k-k-k-k-kool text files 'cause you seem
to know what you're talking about" Stupid Mr. Hack. Let's set his dad's car on fire. A wire from the back tail light into the
gas tank does wonders.
Oh well, talk to you later. I'll probably call back this lame board again tomorrow just for the comic relief. Later!
*RBCP* Roy!
[Heh, looking at the date in that mail, I realized that I wrote that mail while I was in Austin, Texas from one of the
pay phones in the airport. A few months before, while I was living in Portland, Oregon, Zak had called up the phone
company and ordered Call Waiting on Mr. Hack's board line. Normally a sysop (even a stupid one) would figure this out
within a day, but it took Mr. Hack over a MONTH to realize what someone had done. Even with all the users, including
myself, sending him pissed off feedback asking why we always get hung up on when we call. It wasn't until his phone bill
arrived with that extra monthly charge on it that he figured something wasn't right. After he'd figured out that I'd turned
on him, he deleted me and blacklisted my alias from his board so I send him netmail from another system:
[=========================]
Hi Mr. Hack!
Hey, did I ever tell you that I'm thinking of becomming a psychic? Let me try this out on you...I predict a horrible
twisted fate on your fone line. It will happen soon and would have already happened but somebody has been too busy
lately doing other bad things....I'm pretty good, eh? I should get my own 900 number? Better yet, get YOU a 900 that I
could have access to and you can't.
*RedBoxChiliPPepper*
[Right after I wrote that, he e-mailed Andromeda (the sysop of Bogus Journey) and asked her if he could have all of
the personal info she had on me. She was amused by this and forwarded the mail to me. After all that I kind of lost touch
with the whole Mr. Hack thing until just last month when someone told me that he was "wanting to get Zak and RBCP
because they're always making fun of me." (I don't think this issue is going to make him too happy then.) So here's what
Mr. Hack's new & improved phreeker board looks like. We'll start with the user list...]
Beastie #13
East Alton, IL
07/23/95 Locally
Bucky The Wonder Plumber #12 Belleville, Il
07/24/95 14.4/V32
Catfish #15
Cahokia, Illinois
07/31/95 14.4/V32
Chewbac #18
Collinsville,il
07/27/95 14.4/V32
Death Mage #4
Belleville, Il
06/10/95 9600/V32
Dim #25
, Ha Ha
07/31/95 14.4/V32
Eight Ball #8
Troy, Il
08/03/95 14.4/V32
Fed Clad Madagascar #29
Highland, Illinois
08/03/95 14.4/V32
Fiberflow #28
Troy, Il
08/02/95 2400
Guest #5
Unknown, Unknown?
07/11/95 9600/V32
Jay #26
Scott Afb, Il
08/03/95 9600/V32
Joe Shambro #3
Granite City, Il
08/02/95 14.4/V32
Kermit #21
Belleville,Il
07/30/95 14.4/V32
L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Belleville, Illinois
08/02/95 Locally
Meteor Man #11
St.Louis,mo.
06/27/95 14.4/V32
Mr.Park #17
Alton,il
07/30/95 14.4/V32
Mr.Xerox. #24
Bethalto,ill
08/03/95 14.4/V32
Mr.Xeroxÿ #22
Bethalto,ill
07/30/95 14.4/V32
Primo Pyro #7
Belleville, Missouri
08/01/95 9600/V32
Raistlain #9
Belleville, Il
08/03/95 2400
Richard #23
Fairview Heights, Il
07/30/95 14.4/V32
Subliminal Chaos #6
Dunno, Dunno
07/09/95 14.4/V32
Teknorat #10
Florissant, Mo
05/24/95 2400
Thraka #16
Belleville, Il
07/28/95 Locally
Thä P핤t #2
Alton, Illinois
07/27/95 Locally
Wild Bill #20
Fairview Hts, Il
07/28/95 14.4/V32
[It has always been my opinion that any phreak bbs with any kind of status should never be allowed to have a user
who goes by the alias of Bucky the Wonder Plumber. Note how elite they are by using only the lower case i's when they
type in all caps! And their user list boasts users from as far away as Florissant, Missouri. (Right across the river) I logged
on as a new user under the name of Brain Strats and the alias Fed Clad Madagascar (and yes, Chris Tomkinson, I ripped
that off from YOU!) Here's the feedback I left...]
*NEW USER*
Age/Sex/BD : 20 M 12/12/74
Real name : Brian Strats
Phone number : 618-654-9044
Computer : IBM 486dx VGA 500 megz
Modem type : 14.4/V32
Hi, I'm calling you from highland. I'm looking for files called PLA because I heard there was some sort of story on
highland in there. Have you heard of it? Do you know how to get axcess on Roy's place? The sysop there wont give me
axcess but i don't know why. He seems like a dick. I'm really into the phreaking thing and i used to hhack but lost my
phhone line and hhaven't much gotten into it lately. so i'm sort of behind the times. I have a recording of pay phones tones
that lets me get free calls on some pay phones in town, but not all of them.
hhmmm, what else? Not much, I'm 20 years old and looking for contacts, I guess. do you know a way to dial long
distance for free? I think this call costs money from highland, but I'm not sure about that one. Also, have you ever heard of
me? I haven't bbsed in over a year and I mostly called Fantasy Island and Tower of power. I don't know of any other hpvac
boardrs. there's NO bbses in Highhland. it really sucks here. I don't have many warez, just a few games but they're not
exactly 0day. I'm more interested in getting to know the switching systems in your town. Ours is lame, very old and
outdated but at least we have caller I.D. (before you guys even did!) ha! catch ya later!
ohh one more thing...I have lots of anarchy/hhack/phreak files that I got from a board in st. louis awhile back.
They're sort of old but could be good for historical purposes if you want.
[I tried to go for the innocent, good guy type of attitude. Soon after I logged on he broke in for chat (always home, go
figure!) and started asking me questions about myself. He said before I was validated he'd have to talk to me voice and I
told him that I'd tapped into the line of the hair salon downstairs and was using their line so he couldn't call me voice and
the dork actually believed me! I turned on the capture file half way through the chat so here's more or less what was
said...]
(chat mode with Mr. Hack, already in progress...)
I think it's because i'm actually in GTE territory and we're on an old crappy switch still. I heard you guys got upgraded
a couple years back but I didn't hear which kind of switch. Do you know if it was 5ESS?
Yes, I believe thats it! YOu seem to know of phones fairly well, am I speaking to a phreek?
[Of course, he has no idea about anything to do with switches, he's just read about the 5ESS in all his "anarchy files"
and recognized the name.]
But of course. I really haven't been into it for a long time. my friend started my interest because he had a blue box
that really worked but they're trash now. I have a tape recording of red box tones that I use all the time for LD from pay
phones. (it's loud but it works!)
I can't get a tape recorded tone to work, but when you drop a quarter in the phone with the volume up all of the way,
you can here the CHirP!-CHiRP-CHiRP-CHirp-... I swear!
Yeah, it's like that on a few phones around here. you're not supposed to be able to hear that but you do.
I tried building a redbox with a tone dialer, but phucked up when soldering, a and now I have a 15.00 peice of-craptonedialer, and a boken 6.5536 MHz crystall.
[This guy actually bought the $15 model?? Good luck with those nickels!]
Those actually work? I heard about those but thhought the article was bullshit. you could just put the tone dialer
together and say it doesn't work and they'd probably give you a new one.
Problem is, everything is on a computer.. they'd send it back, see that it had been tampered with, then give me a call. I
wouldn't get away with it. My phriends think I'm paranoid. my being paranoid will save my back! I mean, you can't live
dangerously forever.
True, better paranoid than caught. Like uh, you could buy a new one under a false name and take THAT one back. I
dunno, just buy a new one a try again i guess.
Oh. well, I am probably John Q. Mostpopularcustomer at radio shaq. They like for me to come in, cause I always buy
a shitload of expensive electronics.
[I almost lost it right there. I just wanted to tell him right there that he was stupid, but I held back. He finally
decided that since I'm so "knowledgable" about them phone, he'd give me access to see the messages and to download
those froody PLA files I'd heard so much about. My main concern was finding a lot of posts that I could capture and laugh
at but nobody posts there. Well... there's a few that are worth seeing, but not much. Each sub had a total of about five
posts. The only sub that had a lot of messages in it was the System Announcements sub. So here they are. To conserve
space, I took out most of the indents, spaces and signatures.]
Subj : Let's Get the subs going!
From : L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Date : Mon Jul 31 1995 12:21 pm CDT
I will award every GOOD post with credits. Also, advertise the BBS. We need more users to get more files and better
posts.
Subj : Primo Pyro
From : Primo Pyro #7
Date : Mon Jul 10 1995 12:13 pm CDT
I am the ultimate PYRO! I just thought I'd let you know...... okay bye!
Subj : how to hack the sysops computer
To : All
From : Kermit #21
Date : Sun Jul 30 1995 12:07 pm CDT
you need
1)a ladder
2)a axe
make friends (suck up like hell) with the sysop. so much that he either gives tou his address or invites you over. a
while later, keep track of when his family member and him leave.
watch the house untill they all leave.
as soon as they leave, use the ladder to klimb into one of the windows.
if his room is in the basement, go through the upstairs window anyway( it's funner that way) now, go into the room
where he keeps his computer(S)
and HACK EVERYTHING WITH THAT BIG AXE (computers,moniters,MODEM,disks his cosz chair ect.) then
go home and call the bbs to see if it is still running. (unless your totally stupid, and don't know what your doing, the
bbs won't work
[You know, it amazes me to no end how much that post resembled PLA001.TXT I don't know, me and Kermit must
be on the same wave length.]
Subj : Let's get this started: Sending fake mail in UNIX
From : L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Date : Thu Jul 27 1995 02:05 pm CDT
I have a small script file that allows the sending of mail with a fake sender in UNIx. It does not work, however. If
anyone has experiance with UNIX script programming, please tell me, I need someone to take a look at it, so we can figure
out whatz wrong.
LŽXV•XEN
Subj : PHReeeKeRS [<-- Notice the eLeeet WaY he Speeeellz!]
To : All
From : Primo Pyro #7
Date : Sat Jul 29 1995 01:12 pm CDT
If there are any *REAL* PHReeeKeRS on this board who are interested in joining a SYNDICATION... e-mail ME,
PRiMO PYRO. You will be hired by our clients to do certain sabotage jobs dealing with phone lines. More than likely you
will be paid for these jobs. Any questions or if you wanna join... e-mail me!
||\\ //||
|| || ETALLiCA RULeZ!!!!
±±²²³³PRiMOøPYRO³³²²±±
[Oooooooooo! Shouldn't that be SYNDiCATiON with lower case i's? I like the way el_jefe put it best: "These guys
seem to think that phreaking mostly deals with blowing things up."]
Subj : Boxes
To : All
From : L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Date : Sat Jul 29 1995 02:47 pm CDT
Contact CCVERIFIER on AOL for information on buying boxes. 20$ to 150$ price range. contact him at
CCVERIFIER@AOL.COM I just thought I'd tell you all about this.
[ "Real Phreakers who buy AOL accounts! Next on Geraldo!" ]
Subj : ......
From : Eight Ball #8
Date : Sun Jul 30 1995 02:51 pm CDT
This board is kind of gay.
[Way to go, Eight Ball! He eventually got deleted for that.]
Subj : Eightball.
To : All
From : L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Date : Sun Jul 30 1995 09:27 pm CDT
Well, letz see, you don't post, and hardly upload... Maybe it is not the board that is gay. just wait until we get more
users. It's only been up fer less than a week!
Subj : ANaRCHy iZ my FRiEND!!!
To : All
From : Primo Pyro #7
Date : Sat Jul 29 1995 01:16 pm CDT
As I said before in the PHReeeKeR section of the posts... We are starting a SYNDICATION and if you are interested in
joining, e-mail me, PRiMO PYRO. You will be hired by others do sabotage things and prettty much reik HaVoC!!! It will be
fun and you will more than likely get paid for the job you do. Look for further info on this message base and post any
questions or comments.
Subj : red boxing
To : All
From : L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Date : Fri Aug 04 1995 09:29 am CDT
RE: red boxing
BY: Fed Clad Madagascar to All on Fri Aug 04 1995 07:49 am
I can't get my recorded tones to work. I have used:
-Quarter.WAV
-P-80 Tone generation utilities
-Tone-dial
and about 4 other tone generators. They won't work. I am doing it wrong, and was wondering if anyone could explain
their methods of redboxing other than recorded tones and the tonedialer. If anyone knows where I can buy a redbox,
please post the place's number!
[During chat, he told me how he bought a Radio Shack tone dialer and a crystal and tried to solder the crystal in but
ended up burning a hole in the circuit board. I told him to go exchange the tone dialer and say it doesn't work and he said
that'd be really stupid because they have his name, address and phone number on the receipt. I didn't even bother asking
him why he didn't use false information.]
Subj : Warez! I'll show you warez!
From : L•XV•X•N (EXiLE) #1
Date : Fri Aug 04 1995 09:32 am CDT
AOL is the place for warez. They have the l8test stuph. I have a phull mailbox. I have so many warez at my disposal. I
have a bunch of free packages if anyone is interested. Getting them from me is a hell of a lot easier than getting them from
AOL.
[Roy's Place has a special sub just for Mr. Hack called "Mr. Hack Thinks He's Sneaky." Here's a couple posts from
that sub...]
Name: Scorpion #13 @1
Date: Tue Aug 01 13:52:08 1995
Don't all you Sysops feel jealous now because I got Phil trying to call my board now using the name EntintyX and
saying he runs the Telco X Phreekers groups hehehehehe. When I said go away Phil he goes who's Phil so I had to remind
him about the 9600 and the fact that he used the same PW "rodney" So in conclusion the title says it all Mr. Phil "thinks"
he's sneaky.
Scorpion
[Scorpion compiled a list of passwords that Mr. Hack likes to use...]
Rodney
Jack Jones
VMX
John
Mark
Intity X
Phreeker
Weirdo
Inet
Macdad
Reset
Jake Jones
Lonely
Diskdrive Lordchaos
[Eight Ball had the pleasure of chatting with L•XV•X•N one night and was nice enough to send the captures to me...]
8B: You know you made the PLA's loser list?
LX: What? What's that? I know my popularity has gone down but I don't know what that is. [Yes, he really said this.]
8B: The loser list is PLA #7 it's a list of people's real names and info and they distribute it so I wouldn't be surprised if
you start getting prank calls from Alaska.
LX: Well, I think the PLA is more talk than action. All they can do is harrass people on the phone all day, but they
aren't true phreekers.
8B: Oh yeah? You haven't talked to Deter or Chris Tomkinson have you?
LX: No, why should I have?
8B: Oh you'll probably see when the PLA do what they did to them to you.
[Nobody is sure if L•XV•X•N is trying to be elite or he just doesn't know how to spell the word Phreeeeker.]
Subj : Kermit
To : All
From : Marlboro Man #33
Date : Sun Aug 06 1995 06:32 pm CDT
Kermit is a buttfucking homo inbred. I caught him in bed with his dad, but
Title:
Enter message now (50 lines max). Type /? on a new line for menu.
----+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+-Oh, be fucking quiet, Hit Man. Why do you use 12,000 different aliases everywhere? Are you trying to be sneaky like
Mr. Hack? You know what's really pathetic is that I logged on to this bbs just to see what it's like and it's the most
harmless, stupidest, lamest thing I've ever logged onto in my entire life. First I tried under my real name,
RedBoxChiliPepper, but Mr. Hacky wouldn't validate me and then I went under this fake alias of Fed Clad and told Mr.
Hack that he couldn't voice validate me because I was tapping into the beauty parlor's line downstairs cause I didn't have
my own phone and you know what? The idiot believed me! Anyways, I suppose I'll be deleted, oh well. Have fun writing
your k-rad SYNDICATION. I can't wait for THAT one to come out!
Kermit? You're about the fucking stupidest person I've ever seen on a bbs. I just think you should know that. And the
guy who's starting the amazing SYNDICATION? You're just about as bad. Phreaking does NOT mean going abround and
blowing shit up. And Mr. Hack? Can you say "call waiting?" I knew you could!
/s
What's even worse is their hack line at 618-397-7729...
Thank you for calling TWi$TäD RäAœiTY, another fine Synchronet BBS...
Other Info On The 618 Area
Well, as if anyone cared, that's the rundown on what the 618 area is like. As I said before, DON'T move there, under
any circumstances! As if any of the above three articles aren't convincing enough, it gets worse...Brent Deterding lives in
618! That's right, DETER! Also known as the guy who's home phone number is 618-288-9652. There are a few good bbses,
though.
Roy's Place (618-797-2339) for one. The original headquarters for the PLA and operated by Zak aka El_Jefe. With
truely great message topics such as the "Mr. Hack Thinks He's Sneaky" sub and "I wish I lived in Roy, New Mexico!"
Then there's the Cocktail Lounge at 618-451-8048, Martini's board, the one who wrote those wonderful, enlightening
poems about Deter & Chris Tomkinson. And the place where the whole Greg Carson/Hit Man war started from.
A couple other good ones are Bogus Journey (618-656-7266) run by Andromeda and Twist of Cain at 618-876-6042. I
would put the 618 area bbs list here but since this PLA is already way too long, I'm going to leave it out. Hope you enjoyed
these. (Who am I kidding...) Stay tuned next issue when we take a look at BBSing in Roy, New Mexico! (ahem...not)
How To Piss Off RedBoxChiliPepper - by Colleen Card
Fun things to do when you call his board, or his house (If you happen to know how to get that number.) things to
mail, things for fun. Revenage on The Cactus has just begun!
1. Call up his board and page him to chat. Then if he ever does chat with you type in all CAPS or lower case. (Actually
this would probably bug alot of people.)
2. Call up his house day and night and ask to borrow cans of Spam, cups of suger, and other stupid things that aren't
funny just lame!
3. Call his house and tell him Zak is coming to visit AAAAARRRRRRGGGGG!
4. Drop by his house unexpectedly alot and time him on how fast it takes to open the door.
5. Mail him a HUGE box full of styrafome.
6. E-Mail him Ansi.
7. Take a few days off work to stay home and watch the Sesame Street 72 hour marathon. (He get's bored after the
first 24 hours.)
What The Community Is Saying About PLA!
Erik Bloodaxe: "What a bunch of dumbasses..."
Jim Bayless: (Hysterical laughter, incoherent mumbling and face twitching)
Gail [Thactery]: "They're so pathetic and harmless, even I wouldn't dare to try and prosecute them."
Scott The Believer: "May the lord help them on the path to recovery."
Greg Carson aka The Hit Man: "I'm gonna fly down to Texas this weekend with my dog and KILL that fucking idiot!"
Mr. Hack: "You know, I think they're pretty cool..."
Tr1be: "y0y0y0y0y0! You think the PLA will write a text file that will detail how to turn on your modem?"
Mr. Rogers: "Can you say `stupid'? I knew you could!"
And This Issue's Feature Loser/Dork/Gimp is... (Drum Roll Please!)
Andy Babin!
It's been a tough one to decide, with nominees like Scott The Believer, Chatty, and Kevin Christmas/Jack The Ripper
(who is long overdue, by the way!) but Andy Babbin has got to be the biggest idiot this side of the world. I'm sure that Hit
Man could have made it here if I hadn't decided to dedicate an entire article to him. Too bad, Hit Man, maybe next time...
Who Is Andy Babin and How Did He Cross Paths With PLA?:
The whole Andy thing began when a friend was over and we were bored so he says "Hey, let's call this girl I
know...Anna!" So we give her a call but rather than her answering, her brother Andy answers. So I give him the usual
harrassment and the only part of the conversation I really remember is:
ANDY: "You know, I could shoot a chocolate chip off the tip of your penis from a thousand yards?!"
RBCP: "What??"
ANDY: "You heard me."
RBCP: "Uhhh, Andy? That really wasn't that funny, I think you need to work on that one or something."
ANDY: "But it's true, though!"
I never did figure that one out so the next day I ask my friend in e-mail about Andy and I get the following reply:
(More of a thesis than a reply if you ask me!)
"Andy is Anna's older brother who is like 26 and still lives with mommy and daddy. Anna graduated last May with
my class. Anna believes very much in supernatural happenings and wishes to be a part of anything mysterious or would
otherwise make her believe to have supersensory powers. Andy Babin is 'all man' in his book. There's not a deer he can't
shoot cause their ain't a gun he don't own. He likes to burp, fart, drive a red and white ugly truck with a big camper and
Anna drives an old Chevy Celebrity. Andy is crude, obnoxious, and fitting of the stereotype you were exposed to by talking
to him on the phone. Her dad is hard core into short wave radio and her mom...well, I think she likes to play a round or
two of that Windows Jezball and Windows Tetris before taking herself and Anna to Catholic church where Anna is in the
choir.
Well...that's about all the information I could think of that could in the slightest be possibly relevant. There is a guy
named Matt in Austin that she's lusted after for years cause they were on the 'same wave length' and she regretts losing
contact with him if you REALLY wanna be cruel..hehe...anyways. I'll owe you if you really do something spectacular!" END
OF MAIL.
Kind of sounds like a suped-up Dino Allsman, eh?
How Can I Get In Touch With Andy Babbin?:
Well, if you're not able to find Andy at your local NRA meetings, you could write him a letter at Andy Babin, 6702
Whitewing Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78413 or you could call him at 512-991-0217. If he's not home then Anna is always
willing to talk, especially if you three-way on a 900 psychic line.
This Issue's Featured Support Sites
Here are the systems that have decided to throw out all their morals and carry the Phone Losers texts on their
computers since the last issue. See if YOU can make this list by next issue! Also at the end of this text you'll find our new
FTP site which has a very extended text & zine section as well as the new Web page which has been provided by the editors
of Delirium. Thanks, Apothesis!
Geez, what's with this sudden 618 surge?? Guess it's the Chatterbox publicity. If you're a PLA site and haven't been
added to the list yet, e-mail me! And if I forgot to ad you to the list, tough doo doo.
219-365-1096 Suburban Wasteland - Crown Point, Indiana
403-342-1458 Plad Banana - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
408-883-9535 Land of Rape & Honey - California
409-899-5793 Stinky's Bar & Grill - Beaumont, Texas
410-437-3858 Command Tech - Pasadena, Maryland
510-935-5845 Temple of the Screaming Electron - California
601-332-2446 BadLands - Greenville, Mississippi
607-785-1427 Up In Smoke
618-451-8048 Cocktail Lounge - Granite City, Illinois
618-667-8363 The Corner Pocket - Troy, Illinois
618-746-0049 Birdland - Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
618-876-6042 Twist of Cain - Granite City, Illinois
618-877-5348 Total Chaos - Granite City, Illinois
708-251-3868 Poison Pen - Chicago Area, Illinois
801-278-2699 Lies Unlimited - Utah
803-772-3893 Hacker's Heaven - Columbia, South Carolina
International Sites:
+44-1-91-454-6978 The Doc - South Shields, England
+32-2-757-0776 Digital Fuse – Belgium
---Phone Losers Of America Headline News---
Here's an interesting news article submitted by Apotheosis of Delirium:
TRUE MORTIFICATION: AT&T mailed information on their "True Rewards" program to 175,000 customers. But
when patrons called the printed toll-free number to get details, they were greeted with "Are you ready to get naked? If you
want hardcore, uncensored, explicit sex now, then come and -- mmmmm -- take it!" Apparently, a printing error
substituted AT&T's number for a phone sex number. "People have been calling and expressing their dissatisfaction," an
AT&T spokeswoman noted. But not everyone is dissatisfied: "It hasn't been bad for business," said a spokeswoman for
Amtec Communications, the company that provides the phone sex service. (AP) ...No, really: I'm just calling so I can get
more frequent flyer miles.
[Here's some article I found in the Corpus Christi Caller Times...]
The classic victims of service automation are probably telephone operators. At one time, every call required a human
switch, but then, as calling volumes surged, massive automation was required. The number of operators has dropped to
60,000 from 250,000 in 1956 and is still dwindling; in the past 15 months alone, AT&T Corp. has slashed its total by 25
percent. The sheer pace of automation takes its toll. "It seems like every day they're telling us there is something new to
'mech,'" says Addie Brinkley, an AT&T operator since 1957 in Modesto, California.
"I took a year of Spanish in high school and I only know enough to harrass the AT&T operator."
-Zak
"I love being a shit." -RBCP
Classifieds
Psychic Sadomasochists Hotline! Coming soon! Real BDSM lifestyle participants who are also versed in various
psychic arts will be offering telephone consultations. Call 1-800-4-FETISH for further information on all your fetish
needs!
HELP WANTED: Fairfield Inn in Fairview Heights, Illinois has openings for a new night man! Please call us at 618398-7124 or 618-398-7189 to schedule your interview today! Or drop by 140 Ludwig to fill out an application. The last
fucker that worked here, Greg, kept having his little friends call here and bother me and all the other employees. Not to
mention how much he ran up our phone bill with all those 900 sex line calls. Can YOU keep your mind on your work?
If this sounds like the job for you, please stop by!
Do you have experience with telephones? Southwestern Bell NEEDS you! Now accepting applications for security
personell. SWB has had major problems with huge surges in fraudulent calling and we need your help in catching these
fiends. If interested, call Ken at 1-800-800-8900. Refs & background check required...
You too can put your own ad in the PLA Classifieds! All you have to do is send your ad to the classified department at
rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com or you could phone in your ad at 512-703-8910. Ads are $60 a word and all charges will be
billed to your parents.
Like, everybody have a fucking great time at Defcon without me. I'm too fucking poor to make it this year.-DTMF
*** KEVIN CHRISTMAS EATS IT! ***
Are you lonely? Do you have absolutely no friends at all? Do you enjoy hanging out on illegal 800 confs, but you're
so lame that nobody will give you conf info because all you do is tone at them? Well, have I got the line for you! Call
the DefCon Voice Bridge at 801-855-3326. Even though toning doesn't work so well, you can still sit there and play your
K-Cool MOD files, yell at people and tell them all how lame they are and that they know nothing compared to you. Call
it today!
Pinkerton Rent-A-Cops are now taking applications for armed guards at many local AT&T buildings to stop kids
from breaking into the AT&T vans and romping around in trash bins. Help is needed immediately so apply today. 901k
plan, benefits, all you can eat donuts, $4.26 / hour. For more information call Pinkerton at 618-397-7729.
WANTED: Submissions for PLA95FAL.TXT! The new updated PLA Phone Directory is going pretty good but I still
need some more numbers for it. Also needed are cool FTP sites, web pages and internet e-mail addresses. Send anything!
RBCP
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
Voice:
512-703-8910 PLA Voicemail System
314-995-1261 Zak's VMB System
Data:
618-797-2339 Roy's Place
512-883-7543 Whombat Communications
U.S. Mailing Address:
Phone Losers Of America
P.O. Box 3642
Corpus Christi, TX 78463
FTP Sites/Web Sites:
FTP.FC.NET............pub/deadkat/phreaking/PLA
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU...pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
HTTP://www.compumedia.com/~jnoonan/PLA
Internet:
rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact RedBoxChiliPepper)
cactus@basenet.net (To contact Zak a.k.a. el_jefe)
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com (To contact Colleen Card)
Issue #035
Completed On September 10, 1995
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction - RBCP
2. Review of DefCon III - by Apok0lyps
3. Review of DefCon III - by Roy
4. Follow-up on the 618 Scene - RBCP
5. The Birth of "Cactus" – RBCP
6. Dealing With False Classified Ads - RBCP
7. This Issue's Featured Support Sites
8. Police Log
Introduction – RedBoxChiliPepper
Well, here it is, issue thirty-five, the final issue of PLA. It's been fun but unless someone else decides to take over,
which is doubtful, this will be the last issue ever. Thanks goes out to everybody. Oh, wait, I'm just kidding, PLA's not really
shutting down. I bet I got your attention, didn't I?
*FREE DISKS!* *FREE DISKS!* *FREE DISKS!* *FREE DISKS!* *FREE DISKS!*
There's a great company out there that's giving people FREE 3 1/2" computer disks with absolutely no cost or
obligation and no salesman will call! And what's even better is that the company provides a toll free number to call in and
get your free disks with. The only catch is that you can only get one disk at a time. You may have heard of the company, it's
called Amerika On-Line! (stop ralphing!) You can order a few disks a day by calling 1-800-827-6364 and expressing an
extreme interest in becomming an AOHell subscriber. Stop paying for those computer disks, they can be free, dammit!
I finally got around to reading Masters of Deception by Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quittner. Good book, funny,
informative, who cares if the story was really accurate, it was good reading. There's just two parts in it that I can't help
bringing up. One quote was, "One kid might know how to make a wicked blue box, a device cobbled together from topsecret Radio Shack parts that simulated the tones of coins dropping into a pay phone..." and the other part tells about one
of the guys playing with a phone in a book store and finally gets to make a free phone call by using his tone dialer to dial
the number he wants. Easy to do, but the author describes, "The device he uses is a tone dialer, which emits a noise that
simulates the sound a pay phone would recognize as coins dropping into a slot." Guess they should have done a little more
research before they released the book. Other than that, good reading. Go out and shoplift your copy from Waldenbooks
today!
Me & Colleen Card are in the process of relocating from the stinky town of Corpus Christi, Texas to someplace less
smelly. We still haven't decided exactly where but hopefully it'll be someplace where more people speak English. If you're
one of the few who use our post office box, you can still write to that address and mail will be diverted for us to pick up. By
the next issue we should be moved. (As of this writing we're vacationing in Illinois, ya-hoo.) Oh, this also means that my
bbs, Whombat Communications went down but I backed everything up on disk so I'll most likely put it back up in a few
months so don't throw away your passwords yet!
This issue features reviews of Defcon, the meaning of "cactus" and a follow-up on the 618 scene from the last issue. A
reporter was actually desperate enough for material to run a story on the PLA. He's probably out of a job by now, poor sob.
So sit back and enjoy the issue. Better yet, just delete it, it's not worth reading. Who am I trying to fool?
Review of DefCon ]I[ - Apok0lyps
Friday Aug. 04 aprox. 12:00: We arrive at the Tropicana Hotel. Check in took FOREVER as we had to stand in a really
long line and get checked in. They made us pay a $50.00 damage deposit on the room. We complained, but oh well.
13:00: We get the room, put our shit away, and head on down to the con room. Not too many people had shown up
yet, only about 250 reg'ed at that point. Paid the $40.00 and got da 0day ID badge. werd.
13:40: I head to the Tropics Bar (one closest to the con room) and begin to order beer. Sat and drank like two and met
Alex Deluge. He was pretty cool. About seven beers later, El_Jefe (Zak) shows up with Xn4rk. He was also pretty cool. We
started to mess around with the video poker machines. Xn4rk has this idea that chaos theory has something to do with the
winnings. We proceed to drink and conduct "experiments" to the tune of about $12.00 & no one won shit. Started to get
loaded.
15:00: I depart the bar and head back to the con room. Looked around for a while and got the latest 2600 mag. Pretty
good, pick it up. Milled around and met Novocain.
16:00: Got some food, got some sleep. By now the time thing is kinda blurry, so here's the rest in a nutshell (or nut
case) Hacker Jeopardy started at Midnight and was loads of fun. I would dare to say the best event of the whole con.
Questions ranged from stupid to elite, but the beer flowed and free stuff abounded. Round one was a riot as we watched
little kids fight for t-shirts and beers. This event hosted by Winn Schwartau, lasted till like 3am. The con closed for the
night and me and some people went to hack KU.
Here are MY awards picks for best things at DefCon ]I[:
Best Speaker: Robert Steele (ex-CIA) Topic: Hackers are the country's biggest asset. Kept me very intrested. I'm
gonna try to get a copy of his notes from him.
Most Entertaining Speaker: Deth Vegetable (cDc) Topic: The Media Sucks Made me laugh, Also took questions about
Mr. T!!
Most Informative Speaker: Koresh Topic: Hacking a Job. I went away with a lot of good info on that one.
Lamest Speaker: Stephen Cobb Topic: Why Hacking Sucks.
Best Event of DefCon ]I[: Hacker Jeopardy. Free Beer, free stuff, and El_jefe managed to win a lot of shit.
Worst Event of DefCon ]I[: Susan Thunder's Mitnick Party. I didn't go, but I think only three people did.
Best Quote: (not sure who said this) "If you were a woman and had a plastic penis, I would touch your nose."
Most Commonly used words by Dark Tangent: "Awwwwwwww Yeah!"
Most Commonly used words by everyone else: "Throw it!!"
Friendliest People: Alex Deluge, Xn4rk, Magsusa (hope I spelled that right) Dead Addict and Novocain.
Best Hotel Employee: Thomas. (Offical PLA bartender)
Most Creative Outfit: Whoever was dressed like Chun Li.
Other Quotes:
"Here, have one of those beer things." - El_jefe
"Alex Deluge: I LOVE those beer things!!" -Alex Deluge
"Whoever's got floor space, I'll give them k0dez!" -Capt. Hook
"Ok, ticket number 317 wins Dark Tangent." -Death Vegetable
"Throw him!!!" -Crowd
Greets go out to: DHATE (see ya at H0H0), Alex Deluge, Drew from SGI for getting us the Holy Cow (moo), Thomas,
RBCP and Colleen Card (see ya at H0H0 as well) and that's it for me!
Review of DefCon III - by Roy
Hi, my name's Roy, and last week I went to that DefCon3 thing that was in Las Vegas. I heard about all the wicked
things and the sinners there so I made sure to bring my bible. I packed everything in my Ford Motherfucker sometime
around January so I would be there on time. I got to the Tropicana Hotel around 1pm on Friday afternoon, and got my
room so me and my gerbils could get a little privacy over the weekend.
When I went to the convention room I about fell over when I saw the carpet, it was this beautiful tropical floral
pattern with lots of pretty colors! I LIKE pink and greeny things. Someone was going around trying to give me a copy of a
Hustler disguised as a 2600 magazine, so I had to mace him just like they taught me down at the YMCA.
That silly man, Dark Tangent made my gerbil pay to get in even though he would just sit in my pocket until I found a
cardboard tube. I read that cute little program thing and it said something about hackers playing Wheel of Fortune. Since
Pat Sajak is my favorite person in the world I went, but I wondered why he would play Wheel of Fortune at midnight. He
must be crazy nuts! I think they should have called the police about this game. Some crazy young man was throwing things
at the audience and trying to hurt us for some reason! He was throwing beers to people without making them throw ID
back up so he could see if they were 32.
I drank half of one of those beer things and I went wild! I don't know what happened then but I remeber passing out
on that beautiful hotel carpet, and waking up in my room with a broken gerbil next to me. I guess I'd have to visit the pet
store later. I tried to get the bartender to quit selling beer and even showed him the bible, but he just threw ice cubes at
me. I know SOMEONE who's going to hell.
I bought some beef jerky and went to the convention room. I noticed some guy talking into a microphone but got
totally distracted by the beautiful curtains outside! Between the curtains and the wallpaper, I had to go back to my room
and change my pants. I felt so awful about doing that, that I had to order some butter and chives from room service and
rub them all over myself and everything else in the room before things got better.
Me and my gerbil went into the convention room the next day and someone was talking about something but I didn't
care, I had to go to the toilet so bad, it just wasn't funny anymore. I found the nearest bathroom and barred the door shut
for aboout three hours, and the whole time I was in there I danced all over the toilets. When I came out, a guard was
waiting for me and he beat me sensless with his billy club, and that was kind of fun too! Finally, he just gave me a shoe in
the ass and sent me back to the convention room where I hid in the curtains for the rest of the evening.
The toilets at the hotel were so pretty! I wish I could have taken one of them home with me and mounted it on my
1986 Ford Motherfucker. About that time I realized I had to go back home to New Mexico and feed my gerbils and check
to make sure that those kids didn't take my bubble mower or change the greeting on my answering machine like last
weekend. I went home and the neighbors told me I was crazy nuts with piss in my pants for going to such a sinful town as
Las Vegas, but I brought all my shoes and glasses so it was ok.
Follow-up on the 618 scene:
If anyone actually bothered to read all of PLA034 you probably remember us leaving the 618 area code in total
disarray and confusion. Well, a few more developments have happened since that issue and here they are. First, we bring
you Scott The Believer's post shortly after PLA034 came out. This was posted in the Sysop Announcements Sub (Wed Aug
09, 1995):
Well, It is true. We are shutting Chatterbox dowm Permanently, we are pulling the plug on the Computer at Midnight
this Saturday night (8-12-95). I really hate to do this, Mostly it has been fun and a joy to run this BBS. Chatty has done an
excellent job for a newbi sysop to keep things running well, and the board interesting and entertaining. AND most of the
users here have been really good, posted a lot, played games, had a good time in general. Why then must we shut it down
then? I hear all you good users out there asking yourself that question. Well, along with the good users, there have also
been a few "Not so good users" out there. They are the ones to spoil it for the rest of you. We have had so many problems
in the past few weeks, it is not even funny! We have had users that thought it would be great fun to "STEAL" the users list
from here with everyones passwords, phone numbers, address's, ETC and then upload it to other boards. We have had
users that would call us voice here at all hours of the night with harrassing calls. We have had a user upset over giving out
his phone number to another user (Eventho everybody has our users list by now).
We had users ASK to be deleted, then keep trying to log back in as new. We have deleted users who refused to
conform to our NO CUSSING rule here, then they got mad at us too. It has just turned into way TOO much hasstle lately.
It used to be fun to run this board, but lately it has turned into a BIG headach taking up too much of my time trying to
keep users happy, that we have decided to just turn it off, PERMANENTLY! It becomes effective this Saturday night (8-1295) at Midnight. Chatterbox will no longer be around.
For you good users, we are really sorry it has come to this. We appreciate all that you have done to help make this a
fun BBS. I am sorry the situation has come to this. And I want to thank all of you good users for your participation in all
that this board has to offer. If you could, please post on other boards that Chatterbox has permanently gone down, to rise
no more, ok? Just to inform any users that don't log on and read this by Saturday what happened. Thanks.
Scott The Believer
PS- any replys (Posts or E-mail) is welcome, and Chatty will probably follow this with her own post about the
situation.
[And before that post, Apok0lyps had gotten the following private mail...]
Name: Scott The Believer #2
Date: Wed Aug 09 06:19:24 1995
I am unpopular in the area? Never had any problem before, and I have BBSing for about 6 years now. I always got
along pretty good with most everyone, never had a fight with anyone, except 1 sysop who I asked to be deleted from their
system and they balked about removing my name from their system. I have had discussions about abortion with a few, but
NO real fights. So I sure didn't know that I was unpopular around here. The only people I have had unpopular dealings
with are the users of this board, namely Martini, Zak, Zensless1, and a few others I have deleted from here. The way I see it
the whole problem started here with this board, and it is gonna end here and now with this board.
I thought Amanda was doing a good job making a decent entertaining BBS, when I Dark Requim, I thought we really
had a better board than they did. We sure got a lot of calls, 30-35 a day average. I really thought Amanda was doing an
excelent job as a newbi sysop. BUT The buck stops here! I too am depressed about this whole incident, it IS boring. But I
can stop it at any time. AND Amanda's Mother and I have made the decision, we will NOT put up with all these hasstles
anymore. So we are shutting Chatterbox down, Permanently! Midnight this Saturday night is the day and time we pull the
plug on Chatterbox. I am sorry to have to do this to Amanda, she really enjoyed runnning a board, but I have had enough
midnight-3am calls, new users trying to call in saying OBSENE things in the LOG about Amanda as passwords. I am just
sick of this whole month LONG incident that just won't stop. RBCP putting my Apology in one of his PLA text's is the
capper, I am sick of him, his childish pranks, and putting my Apology in there was WHAT finally made me decide to do it.
So as of Midnight this Saturday night, Chatterbox is History, Permanently. Don't bother calling anymore, it will not be
amswering anymore after Saturday....End of discussion.
[Needless to say, everyone at Cocktail Lounge and Roy's Place thought this to be really hilarious and everyone
counted down the minutes until they went down. Apok0lyps actually managed to get himself deleted about a half hour
before the bbs went down but I forget why. Lighten up, Scotty! :) Mr. Hack is still running his amazing phreeeekers' bbs.
Here's a chat session submitted to me by Scorpion (with Mr. Hack, using a false account):
HACK: i am the god dam exile!
SCOR: oh ok why do you let people bash you?
HACK: because they r just lamerz who got kiked out of their sisters ass!!
SCOR: What I was wondering is why do you have so many enimies?
HACK: BECAUSE WE ARE THE ELITE AND THEY ARE NOT AS GOOD AS US SO THEN THEY TAKE PROPER
ACTION OF JEALOUSLY AND SAY THAT WE DONT KNOW ANYTHING SO DONT FUK WITH US..........NOT
NECCESSARILY MEANING U!!
SCOR: Whats that pol group?
HACK: PAL? [PLA, of course]
SCOR: something like that I always see them bashing you?
HACK: THAts just BECAUSE THEY R JEALOUS!
SCOR: Oh so there not really a cool group?
HACK: FUK NO!
SCOR: oh what group were you starting?
HACK: OUR PRIVATE GROUP IS THE BRANCH OF THE n.O.c WHICH WUZ ALSO CREATED BY US ALSO! R
SPECIAL GROUP IS CALLED D.e.k!
SCOR: Are you a really good hacker?
HACK: sORRY DUDE, GOTSTA GO TO SOME CHIKZ HOUZE. L8z!
SCOR: ok btw is it true the Deter gives it to you up the ass?
[After that, Mr. Hack hung up on him. (Can't imagine why) But PLA is taking donations so that we can help our
friend, Mr. Hack buy a new keyboard. His CAPS lock seems to be stuck or something.
And Greg Carson? He's not had a good month and he no longer posts on bbses at all, just calls them up and does
new message scans to see if we're still talking about him. Here's a couple of posts by Zak that I found slightly hilarious:]
Name: Zak #21 @6851
Date: Wed Aug 09 00:51:39 1995
[To me...]
You're lame or something. Hey I got an idea, fly up here and live here again, and get plastic surgery to look like Greg
Carson and we'll kidnap him and you can go to work as him and say "I am Greg Carson and I think you are a poo poo
head" Then we'll ruin his life. You can rob banks as him and call people and hang up. Then we can beat up his skanky
hillbilly wife.
Name: Zak #4
Date: Thu Aug 10 05:47:52 1995
I went into the hotel to sleep as it was very very late (about 2pm!) and greg pulled out a baloney sandwich and beat
the shit out of me with it. I'm so scared of lunchmeat now.
[And here's a piece of private mail I got from him. I forget what we were talking about.]
Name: The Hit Man #370 @6851
Date: Mon Aug 28 22:10:34 1995
Use your mind and what would you say in my situation? I know nothing about you nor does anyone else (your real
name even!) You move around alot it seems and I know when I ask questions that I will get no true answer, like your going
to screw up and give me that information, but what should I say? WEll RBCP I guess I will talk to you later. well I guess I
should say you suck or something but I dont want to start anything else between us. WEll bye-Dont worry I know you dont
like me but at least we can talk like adults, right?
Go ahead capture it and show the world what a dumbass I am.
[I wasn't going to publish that e-mail but since he asked me to, I thought I'd give him a break since he's such a nice
guy. But wait, that's not it...Greg, sick of a life of hell (not that I had anything to do with THAT) decided that since the
police wouldn't help him, maybe the newspaper would so he called a reporter from the Belleville News Democrat in
Belleville, Illinois and I started getting calls to my bbs in Texas from a guy named Grey Mouser. Here's some captures...]
Date: 3:32 pm Wed Aug 16, 1995
From: Grey Mouser
To : Redboxchilipepper
Hi this is grey mouset im a membe
Hi my name is grey mouser im a user at roys place. I want membership now :)
Date: 6:21 pm Wed Aug 16, 1995
From: Grey Mouser
To : Redboxchilipepper
Hey, Im a reporter and I want to talk to you about Cactus. my number is 618-234-8420 Call me tonight the story is
running saturday and has to be filed tommorrow afternoon. My real name as im sure you know Is Brian. I want to talk to
you about the cactus of Hitman, I want to get your side of things to make it a fair story.
[Considering his spelling & grammar, of course I was skeptical...]
Date: 6:35 pm Wed Aug 16, 1995
From: Redboxchilipepper
To : Grey Mouser
Get lost, Greg. If you want to hear my side of it, read PLA34.ZIP.
Date: 6:42 pm Wed Aug 16, 1995
From: Grey Mouser
To : Redboxchilipepper
You know for being a supposed Phreaker your not very bright, Im a reporternot greg, I have talked with greg and I am
wwriting a story about him that will be running in Sunday's paper, my work number is 1-618-234-1000 extension 626,
give it a try it starts with the newspapers name. Im here right now if you
want to talk.
[At this point during his mail, I broke in for chat...]
ME: What paper.
GM: The news Democrat in Belleville Illinois
ME: I'm not interested. Read pla034, okay?
GM: Well Ive read 0-32 but Im more interested in a interview, Im sure the other reporters were as well hooked as I
am, I belong to elite/pirate and phreak boards all over the country.
ME: Why are you calling my 618 node then?
GM: Im not Im calling your 512-883-7543 number from 618
ME: Nope, the local 618 node is busy, I'm afraid and you're wasting my time. Whatever you have to offer doesn't
interest me.
GM: What do you mean the local node, do you mean a call to or from a 618 number?
ME: You figure it out, you're wasting my time. If you want to download pla034 I'll let you stay on here, otherwise,
goodbye.
[Then I dropped out of chat. His letter was resumed so he continued...]
Ok but dont blame me if the article seems slanted I have talked with three poeple who have been catused by the pla, I
have tlkaed with the FBI, the corpus christi police and the local phone comapny. Im also talking to internet hackers at
#hack and #virus. Ill just say you refused comment. But dont think this is greg, bk iit isnt.
[Cactused?? I guess he's trying to relate with us. After toddling around my bbs like a first grader, looking at files,
reading messages and making the same stupid mistakes over and over he logged off. Anyway, I called up Roy's Place and
checked out his account there and his validation feedback and here it is...]
To: Zak #1 @1
Name: Grey Mouser #59 @1
Date: Wed Aug 16 12:24:22 1995
RE: Validation Feedback (141 slots left)
Hey, I want elite/pirate access damnit :)
Anyway im new to the area and Im joioning all of the boardz aroud. I have elite access i boards all over the country,
more specifically oregon, Maryland and Illinois and of course the net on #hack and #virus.
GM
[Well, it finally turns out that he is, in fact, a real reporter and has been going crazy nuts calling up everyone in the
618 scene asking what they knew. He also got ahold of a copy of PLA007.TXT and called everyone on the loser list and
tried to interview them all. Colleen Card, Zak and Martini finally ended up on a four-way call with him and had a long
conversation with him. Below is a copy of the article that appeared on the front page of the Belleville News-Democrat on
Sunday, September 3rd, 1995. Next to the article was a color copy of PLAGIF04.GIF (the altered phone logos and Calvin in
an LOD shirt). I put my comments on the story throughout the article in brackets...]
Metro-east Families Face Harassment By Hackers - by Brian D. Crecente
Seven metro-east families have been harassed by obscene and threatening phone calls, pranks and false telephone
charges after running afoul of a computer hackers group. The victims are listed in a computer file distributed by a group
called the Phone Losers of America. The victims believe they're on the list because at one time they may have angered one
of two members of the group who have ties to the metro-east.
One of them is a leader of the group who used to live in Madison County and now lives in Texas and goes by the
nickname "RedBoxChiliPepper." He appears to be the writer of the phone list and other computer files that deal with
harassment or "cactusing," as hackers call it. Computer users can access the list simply by calling up a local information
service called a bulletin board.
[By the time the article came out, I'd moved out of Texas and was actually visiting the 618 area when the article came
out. I seriously doubt that anyone you meet in #hack would say, "Y0, d00d, 3Y3 ju$+ c4ctus3d this 4ssh0|3 |n my c|4ss!"
The whole cactusing thing was just a stupid joke that we're doing our best to run into the ground. And when in the hell did
PLA become a hackers group??? I'll do a semi-detailed explanation of cactus in the next section of this issue.]
RedBoxChiliPepper gives the following instructions: "Please keep in mind that this isn't a list of places to cactus...just
list of numbers for you to call when you're bored or have some time to blow. Harassment is optional," he wrote. "Included
are pay phones, businesses, people who need to have the hell bugged out of them, weirdos, phreaks, dweebies, sluts,
security personel, etc. If you have any other numbers to add to this list, please contact me and I might just add the
number to the list. Have fun!"
Greg and Carolyn Carson of Fairview Heights are among seven local familes on the list. "We have been having big
problems," Carson said. "Two weeks ago, I came home from work and had 20 calls on my answering machine." Greg
Carson, an active computer user, said he engaged in a war of words with the group on one of the local computer bulletin
boards. "They ordered five pizzas to my work in Fairview Heights," he said. "They called all of the local papers and placed
ads in my name with my home number, saying I have houses for rent, computers for sale or that I'm giving away my
Rottweiler."
[The list of course, was PLA007.TXT. War of words, my ass. He insulted every user on a bbs and dared us to do
something horrible to him.]
After a month of this, Carson paid Ameritech $50 for an unpublished number. That solution lasted a week. "The ad
came out today," Carolyn Carson said recently. "It was a computer ad with our unpublished number listed." The Carsons
are frustrated. "The police can't do anything. Ameritech can't help. So what are you supposed to do, not have a phone?"
she said.
A spokesman for the FBI in Fairview Heights said the bureau will investigate only if the calls become overt threats.
He would not confirm whether the FBI is investigating the Phone Losers. RedBoxChiliPepper responded to attempts by
the Belleville News Democrat to reach him through a computer bulletin board by stating, "No comment."
[A week? Funny, I remember calling Ameritech Assignment and getting the new phone number the next morning.
"No Comment" was sort of an understatement. It went more like this... I called Brian (the reporter) at his home and said,
"Hi, this is RBCP." and he said, "Oh, hi, how ya doing?" and I screamed as loud as I could, "NO COMMENT!" and
slammed down the phone. Hey, we thought it was hysterical, okay?
Almeda Lahr-Well of Glen Carbon said she was harassed in 1994 after she expelled the other local group member
from a private school she owns and operates. She said she was having problems with the student, who lives in Granite City
and goes by the nickname Zak. Lahr-Well and her family received a series of harassing phone calls - mostly hang-up calls.
One of the last calls was a bomb threat about the school. The calls stopped for a few months but have resumed within the
past three weeks, she said.
[Zak was expelled from there for being a major pain in the ass. He was actually responsible for causing a rule that
stated no one was allowed to say the word "cactus" during class time. He never really did explain to me exactly how that
happened. The bomb threat wasn't by us, but by another student there named Jason Crews who was trying to frame us.
Daniel Tomkinson of Granite City said the harassment he has experienced began after he allowed a teenage girl who
was a friend of his son Chris to stay at their house for a month after she had been kicked out by her former boyfriend.
The boyfriend, it turned out, was RedBoxChiliPepper. "Almost immediately after she started living here, someone
listed our house for sale, for rent, ordered pizzas to our house," Tomkinson said.
"We started getting calls at all times of the night threatening my 9-year-old daughter, saying he was going to kidnap
and rape her." A long-distance calling card in Chris Tomkinson's name was then distributed around the country, netting
thousands of dollars in false charges. Someone began renting video tapes in Daniel Tomkinson's name without returning
them. Someone also called in a false drug tip to police about Chris' friends. "This really ruined Chris' social life,"
Tomkinson said. "All I did was display a little kindness to a young lady from Texas."
[First of all, Daniel Tomkinson has never lived in Granite City, he lives in Rosewood Heights and always has. (You
were only off by about 25 miles, Brian!) The girlfriend in question wasn't kicked out, but left me because she was sick of
my shenanagens, I guess. And the problems with Chris were never related to this girl, he just assumed they were.
Threatening a nine year-old kid doesn't really sound like something I do a lot of. These people have to remember, they're
on the Loser List which is distributed nationally. Anyone could have called them.
Although renting video tapes under Chris Tomkinson's name sounds really appealing, it never happened. What
actually happened was that I was sitting in a bus station in Indiana talking on a pay phone talking to Zak. (As usual) He
decides to call Chris up at home to annoy him. Chris answers and Zak goes into a long conversation with him basically
saying, "I'm Dave from Very Video here in Wood River and we're just wondering when in the hell you're going to return
your videos...what, you don't have a video card here? Well that's funny, I show on my computer here that you checked out
three copies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and an old Stooges movie...Yes, we have your signature right here and you've had
these tapes since last week...Well, we have closed circuit camera in here and our security tapes go back one month. Would
you like to come in and we can see for ourselves that you're telling the truth?"
Chris is more than happy to come in because he says he knows exactly who's responsible for doing this and he can
easily identify RBCP on the security tapes and he says he'll be there in 15 minutes. The funny thing is, Zak was just trying
to be stupid and didn't even sound convincing, yet Chris still believed him. So after that call we phoned the video store and
I said, "Yeah, my name's Chris Tomkinson and I rented a tape there and it was totally fucked and I'm PISSED OFF! I'm
going to come in there and kick your fucking ass right now! I'll be there in 15 minutes mother fucker! When you hear me
tell you that I'm Chris Tomkinson, you'd better run because I'm going to start throwing the punches at you! You got
that!?!?" We never did get to see the end results on that one...]
Richard Ahler of Granite City was the leader of a Boy Scout troop that included the student kicked out of Lahr-Well's
school. Some problems led to a confrontation between Ahler and Zak, and the student was kicked out of the Boy Scout
troop as well. Ahler and his family began receiving harassing phone calls. "For a while, the calls were obscene. Now they
are just a nuisance," said Ahler's wife, Linda. "We had lots of pizzas sent to our house. We received telephone books from
Texas that we didn't order, and in the beginning, they tried to get us to pay for phone service we didn't order." The
harassment died down but resumed about two weeks ago when someone in Sweeden tried 19 times to make collect calls to
the family.
[Zak got kicked out of the Boy Scouts?? News to us. The only person we know from Sweeden would be Demon
Phreaker from OC, so we assume he's responsible for the nineteen collect calls, although I wasn't able to get in touch with
him to find out for sure. He was a member on my bbs and probably got their number from the Loser List... Good job, DP!]
Sometimes obscene messages are sent through a special phone service provided for hearing-impaired people called a
TDD Relay Service. In that systen, a hearing-impared caller -or in this case a hacker- types a message on a TDD machine
that a phone operator must read to the recipient of the call."On one obscene call we received from a relay service, the
operator was sobbing and crying while she tried to read the message," Ahler said. Another victim, Elizabeth Colwell of
Granite City, lives near the expelled student. She said the youth called to harass her once and she asked him why she was
chosen. "He said he doesn't have a life," she said. The harassment ended with a bomb threat, this time to a Hardee's
restaurant where Colwell's son used to work.
[Neither me or Zak could remember making a TDD operator cry so if someone out there reading this is responsible
for this one, drop me a note. I'd really like to know what it takes to make an operator sob! I don't know why everyone
thinks we're terrorists who make bomb threats everywhere. I'm a civil enough person to not cause the fire department to
run around town looking for non-existant bombs. I did hear that Colwell's son, Danny, was fired from Hardees because
some heartless hooligans were calling him constantly at work and being mean to his manager. Who could that be...]
The other local harassment victims declined to discuss the matter openly for fear of retaliation. All the victims made
one common claim - that police and telephone companies have been unable to stop the harassment. Ameritech spokesman
Mike Brand said the telephone company has specialists who handle phone harassment complaints. Customers should
avoid giving their phone number to strangers, he added. "You want to zealously guard your number," he said. "The
telephone is a tremendous convenience, but people choose to use it as an instrument of torture at times."
Who are the Phone Losers of America? The group considers itself an electronic magazine dedicated to freedom of
information. Local victims of telephone harassment believe it has more to do with revenge and kicks. The group has issued
36 computer text files that deal with harassment or "phreaking," which generally means raiding phone company
computers to steal services and manipulate records. The files include tiles such as "Getting Revenge the Phreakers Way,"
"Information Gathering on Anyone," and "A List of Number to Call When You're Really Bored."
[Guard your number, Mike? It's not the customers who are at fault there, the Ameritech employees are the idiots who
will give you unlisted and confidential information just because you claim to work for them. Better advice would probably
be "don't go on a private bbs system and dare people to harass you." PLA has issued 36 computer text files? Funny, when
this article came out we were only up to 34. I guess he's counting the index and Summer '95 Fone Directory.]
The latter file features the group's list of people to harass, which includes 36 residential phone numbers, 95 business
numbers and other assorted numbers for pay phones and computer bulletin boards nationwide.
Another file explains how to build a "red box," which allows users to make free calls from pay phones. Another
explains how to break into computer systems, and another gives details on how to steal services from telephone company
service boxes located outside of homes and businesses. The text files are distributed to 23 computer bulletin boards in the
U.S. and one in Canada, known as PLA distribution sites. A leader of the group, who used to live in the metro-east and
goes by the name RedBoxChiliPepper, claims to have written much of the material.
[A few things that Zak tried to stress during their short phone interview was that we're not a group, it's a damn text
file publication and that we're not computer hackers nor do we pretend to be but I guess none of that sank into Brian's
head when he wrote the article. Hey, I guess if it sells the paper it's okay...
I'm not the "leader" of this "group" I just happen to write practically everything that goes in each issue. I guess Brian
is the leader of the Belleville News-Democrat since he wrote this story. At the time of this writing we had well over 60
published distro sites on Earth, not 23.
And I didn't talk to this guy, let alone "claim to have written much of the material" as he said. Oh well, despite all my
griping about how misleading the article was, everyone seemed to enjoy it, including myself. We're still debating on
whether or not to add Brian to the infamous Loser List. Then someone could write a story about him! One last thing is
Quinbus's rebuttal concerning the article. Quinbus is a local bbser who wrote the following and sent it in to the newspaper.
In my opinion, the article mentioned above is possibly the best example of 'yellow journalism' that I have ever seen in
my life. Not only did Mr. Crecente fail to present a balanced, non-biased article, but he also failed to get the facts which he
presented correct.
Mr. Crecente states that local residents are being harassed by a group of local 'hackers' who call themselves the Phone
Losers of America (PLA).
But, if he had done any research at all, he would know that computer hackers are people who penetrate computer
systems for the purpose of exploring it, and gathering knowledge and information. Hence, the PLA are not hackers at all.
They are in fact a small group of 'phreakers' who started distributing informational text files a short while ago. A
'phreaker' is best described as someone who exploits flaws in the telephone systems to their advantage.
Also, he refers to the PLA's version of harassment as "cactusing," which in all honesty is the most ignorant statement
I have heard in a while, but I guess it fits in with all the other nonsense in the article. It's true that some members of the
PLA like to use the word 'cactus' more than most people, but they usually just throw it in sentences where most people
would 'a','the', or any other common words. The bottom line is that there is no such thing as cactusing, and that it is just
another piece of information fabricated by the reporter.
Although it may be true that the PLA is or has been harassing certain local residents, it is done only in retaliation.
Harassment is defined as "disturbing or irritating persistently." If this is true, then the PLA is only rewarding harassment
with counter-harassment. For instance, the case of Greg Carson is particularly relevant. Mr. Carson - mentioned in the
article sited above - is known in the local computer BBS scene as The Hit Man. Aside from the obvious implications drawn
from his alias, Greg has seemingly only had one purpose since I saw him appear in the scene a few weeks ago. This
purpose being to cause trouble. He repeatedly made instigating remarks, threats, and other immature ramblings in
public areas of at least one local BBS. And when he made such comments to the PLA, they took action. So why is it so bad
that this group took such action and counter-harass someone who harassed them?
As I said before, the PLA does distribute informational text files. And in the article, it discussed how one local family
reported that someone from Sweden was trying to bill telephone calls to them. The PLA can't be held responsible for other
people's stupidity. The files are to inform the public only, they are not commanding anyone to do anything for them. If
someone from Sweden is trying to do these things, they should go to Sweden and find them, not bother the PLA. I
sincerely believe that if it weren't for people like the members of the PLA and other phreakers around the world, who have
learned enough about the phone systems and their flaws, the telephone companies of the world would not be able to make
advances in technology and security for the consumer. Let's face it, if there aren't enough people doing something that
hurts their company's profit, they will not spend the money to develop new systems. Telephone companies have spent
large sums of money trying to make the phone systems as secure as possible because of people like the PLA, but the
systems are much better because of it.
As for the other major allegations made in the article, they were thrown in to make the story just that much more
interesting. I think with all the hype of the Internet and the public's newfound knowledge of the computer underground,
Mr. Crecente was trying to make his story just that much better by turning simple phone phreaks into sex crazed, bomb
happy psychos. The allegations that members of the PLA called and threatened to kidnap and rape a 9 year old girl are
horrendous. Not to mention implying that the PLA is responsible for not one, but two bomb threats. I believe that in all,
this reporter used the public's suspicions of the newly discovered computer underground as a canvas to paint a very
distorted picture of the situation at hand.
I agree that the public should be aware that there are certain bad aspects in the online community. I do not,
however, believe that they should be made to feel that just because they go online, that they are going to be harassed. Just
like the real world, if you harass or threaten someone online, you run the risk that they will retaliate. In general,
everywhere in life, the old Golden Rule "Do unto others, as you would have done unto you" applies. If these local residents
would not have done something harassing to the PLA, the PLA would not have harassed them in return.
In conclusion, if Mr. Crecente would have done more research into this story, he would have found that there wasn't
much of a story at all. Perhaps only the headline "Telephone Geniuses Get Even." Instead, he ran a story which was filled
with half-truths, and worse yet, complete lies.
-quinbus-flestrin-
Just What In The Hell Does "Cactus" MEAN?? – RBCP
Every once in awhile I get e-mail from people wanting to know what cactus means and where it came from and why
we're so obsessed with it. The original meaning of cactus was just to call up a person at random and say absolutely nothing
to them except "cactus". For some reason, this really gets to people so it can be fun if you're bored enough.
I first heard some get cactused when a friend of mine, Amigados (618) came to my house about four years ago and he
started calling people and cactusing them. So I decided to give him a call and ask him about the origin of cactus. In a
phone interview, here's what was said...
"Me and some friends of mine were sitting around a friend's room and bored out of our minds. We picked up the
phone and were pranking this girl that Steve used to like and she blew him off. At the time we were playing a game called
Hero's Quest, but we were playing a really screwed up version that they invented one night when they were tripin' and
there were cactuses sprouting up out of the ground because they were making up really stupid creatures.
"I called her right as my character was enveloped by a cactus so I said to her, 'cactus?' and she said, 'who?' and I said,
'oh, cactus.' and that's how it started. After that we kept calling her back and saying cactus because it seemed to really get
on her nerves. All night we picked random numbers out of the phone book and cactused people and we did it for days and
the next thing you know it just became a way of life."
That's the story, Brian Crecente, you shouldn't have tried to base all your knowledge of the computer underground on
a couple of PLA files. Just go into #hack and ask tr1be about us and you'll hear, "They know nothing! They are lame!" Try
reading Phrack next time.
A few more things about Amigados, he used to drive around in car that had a big cactus drawn on the front side of it
along with the word, "cactus" and he told me that they went around stealing those gigantic real estate magnets off the side
of cars (those huge advertising magnets, you know?), took them home and cut them out in the shapes of cactuses to stick
on their own cars.
"To live the cactus is to live like no man." -Amigados, 1995
Dealing With Evil Hackers Cactusing You With A Classified Ad - RBCP
We all learned from Brian Crecente's informative newspaper article that those evil hackers that hang out on the
information superhighway's #hack and #virus can do horrible, nasty things to you, known to everyone in the underground
world as "cactusing!" One of these things would be to put an ad in the paper (or several papers) causing your phone to ring
non-stop with people wanting to buy your house, car or rotweiler named Carolyn.
Well, our friend Greg Carson finally decided that the only thing to do was to fight back with our own methods and
place a few ads in some papers with Zak's home voice number. One was a car for sale and one was a house. What Greg
didn't know, is that we routinely put ads in the paper ourselves, giving our own phone numbers so that we can answer the
phone and freak out the people that call. (Sort of reverse prank calling. Too lazy to dial numbers? Make the people call
you!) Greg's ads made for an interesting weekend at Zak's house and everyone there fought to be the first to answer the
phone. Here are a few clips of transcripts:
CUSTOMER: I'm calling about the car for sale.
ZAK: Oh, I'm glad you called! I slipped on a jar of mustard and I'm trapped here under the shelf. Can you come over
and rescue me?
CUSTOMER: Oh, my goodness!
[The lady ended up calling 911 to help Zak and 911 called Zak's house to find out what the problem was.]
CUSTOMER: Yes, is Zak there? I'm calling about the apartment.
COLLEEN CARD: That's my dad, he's in the bathroom taking a shit.
CUSTOMER: Oh, well, I'll just call back later then.
COLLEEN: Yeah, it's a big, gross brown one, I believe...
CUSTOMER: That's not really necessary. <click!>
A half-hour later I got his number from the caller I.D. and called him back, yelling in a hick accent.
RBCP: Yeah, this is Zak! You called about the apartment!?
CUSTOMER: Uhhh...
RBCP: I'm takin' a major shit right now but my daughter brought the cordless phone to me so you go ahead and ask
your questions! It's a big, brown, stinky shit! What do you need to know!?
CUSTOMER: <click!>
CUSTOMER: Hi, I'm calling about the apartment for rent.
RBCP: Well, it's funny, a wrecking crew was supposed to knock down the house next door but they got the address
mixed up and knocked down my house instead so I can't really rent it anymore.
CUSTOMER: You serious?
RBCP: Yup.
CUSTOMER: Boy, that's crazy. You know, I'm a carpenter and once I was doing some work for a fellow up in
O'Fallon, roofing some houses and I went to the wrong house, pulled up a roof and re-shingled the damn thing. And you
know what? It wasRBCP: (inturrupting) Yeah, yeah, yeah, like I really give a shit about your life, pal. Quit babbling to me. <click!>
ZAK: The apartment? Well, see, a misguided ICBM missle accidentally crashed into it and the whole block was nuked.
I've still got a nice pile of rubble to rent out if you want. I'll give you a discount.
ZAK: Oh, the apartment? The funniest thing happened, an airplane crashed into the house.
CUSTOMER: An airplane? You're kidding!
ZAK: No, I got there this morning and there was the tail of an airplane sticking out of my house...
So you see, harassment isn't so bad if you have a sense of humor. I remember one ad we placed a few years ago using
my own phone number and I kept convincing people that I wasn't home but they could go look at the house by themselves
and just look in the windows to see what it's like. Then I gave them the address of some guy who lived close by and was
always home and probably wouldn't be too happy with people peering into his windows. So the next time you're singled
out and can't get any sleep because your phone rings non-stop, don't get mad, get creative and have fun. Do it again, Greg!
This Issue's Featured Support Sites
Not a whole lot of new sites this issue. Hope I didn't leave anyone out, I've been busy. Send me e-mail if you'd like to
be added to this list...
415-648-9489 Reality Check - San Francisco, California
603-293-0580 Tower of Destiny - Glendale, New Hampshire
609-637-9565 Byte This II - Trenton, New Jersey
613-736-7909 Crazed Illusions - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
708-256-5928 0Day Warez Palace - Chicago Area, Illinois
801-763-7889 The Cardboard BoXXX - American Fork, Utah
Police Log:
A Seattle man was arrested Tuesday after finding the home addresses of six AT&T employees and killing them and
their families and their dogs. Alex Carbon, age 304, is being held without bail and refuses comment.
Kenneth Milner from the 63rd block of Lincoln was mugged early this morning by two white males. He was hit over
the head with a balogny sandwich and they made off with seven dollars in cash and Ken's brand new red box. All
residents should be wary of males.
If you can solve either of these crimes of the week, please call Crime Stoppers today at 618-398-7124. And help take a
bite out of crime!
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-703-8910 - PLA Voicemail System (RBCP)
314-995-1261 - PLA Voicemail System (Zak)
618-797-2339 - Roy's Place BBS
FTP.FC.NET - pub/deadkat/phreaking/PLA
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
rbcp@big12.metrobbs.com - RedBoxChiliPepper)
cactus@basenet.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
Issue #036
October 25, 1995
Whombat Communications BBS is back on-line. If you had an account on the system before (512-883-7543), then
hopefully you didn't throw your password away because your account is still here. Call today! 503-928-4912. Semi-full
validation on your first call.
----------------
Recently an unnamed person awoke around noon and began his day in the usual manner by picking up the phone
and dialing the number of a local person that he had been annoying for a few months. Our friend was startled, however,
when instead of hearing the normal weary "hello" he heard a computer carrier. He jumped out of bed, turned on QModem and called it again.
To make a long story short, it turned out that the victim had gone somewhere and left his computer on and his
terminal program in the host mode. With a bit of nosing around, he was able to get a dos prompt and look at everything on
the C: drive. The first thing that caught our friend's attention was a file in the Windows directory named DIARY.CAL and
so he downloaded it.
Among everything found on the drive, including several gigs of adult and child porn gifs, personal letters to family
and friends, Telix .FON directories with login and passwords included, his DIARY.CAL file proved to be the most
interesting file there. The victim, who's name was James Heggie, was keeping a daily diary for almost a year and it
contained detailed entries of all the days he was harrassed by our friend. Our friend decided that there could be only one
thing to do with a gem like this...mail it to RedBoxChiliPepper so he could publish Jame's humiliation in the next issue of
PLA. And so he did.
----------------
Sunday, March 30, 1995
Dear Diary,
Today after church I noticed I had several messages on my answering machine concerning my pet parakeets I have
for sale. The funny thing is that I would NEVER consider selling Buffy and Polly. I guess the newspaper must have made
some sort of mistake. I'll have to call them in the morning and have this taken care of because I've been getting a lot of
calls today. Other than that it was a very cheerful day and I had a great time at church.
Monday, April 1, 1995
Dear Diary,
Hecktik day, I must admit. My phone has been ringing non-stop with calls concerning just about everything you can
think of, mostly items I have for sale or apartments I have for rent. I called the newspaper to take care of the problem and
was astonished to find that the ads were placed using my name and address. Obviously this has been the work of someone
playing a very childish prank on me so I removed the ads and that should be the end of it. I only hope that the kids who
were responsible will find the lord soon and accept him into their hearts. For now I'll have to leave my phone off the hook.
Tuesday, April 2, 1995
Dear Diary,
Maybe this is all some kind of April Fool's joke that someone is really trying to run into the ground. Still my phone is
ringing constantly and I can't even call anybody because when I pick up the phone, there's always somebody on it wanting
to buy something from me. I canceled the ads in two of the local papers but who knows how many other papers are
carrying the ads. A few people appear to be calling from North Dakota. I asked one woman what number she dialed to
reach me and she gave me a number in the (xxx) area code. I dialed the number she gave me and sure enough my call
waiting clicked so somehow when people dial that number, they're reaching me instead. I hope the phone companies can
correct this problem and I really hope I'm not paying for the long distance. Good-night, dear diary and god bless.
Wednesday, April 3, 1995
Dear Diary,
Extremely rough day at work today. The ads in the newspaper are now giving out my work number at K-Mart as a
number to reach me at so I've gotten a million calls there about the ads. This has got to stop but I don't know what to do.
My manager is really upset and if I weren't such a good friend to him, he probably would have fired me today for this. A
new notice went up on the employee bulletin board stating that personal phone calls were no longer allowed. When I got
home I found my boss's mail in my mail box with mail forwarding labels on them all, some from his home and some from
work. It's too late to call the post office and take care of this. I'm wondering if I should bring the mail to him in the
morning or just throw it away as if I never got it. I suppose I'll have to give him the mail because that's the Christian thing
to do. I just hope he isn't too angry about it.
Thursday, April 4, 1995
Dear Diary,
I went to the post office to take care of my problems today and discovered that my own mail was being forwarded to
Brussells, Belgium which would explain my electricity being shut off last week because of non-payment of my bill. (I never
got the bill!!) Hopefully things will settle down now and I can have my peaceful life back the way it was. I must remember
to call mom in the morning and tell her about my awful week. She always knows how to make everything all right!
Friday, April 5, 1995
Dear Diary,
Today was a very peaceful day. I didn't get too many calls at work and me and the guys went out after work to prepare
for our bible study on Sunday. Saw Dave & Susan there. Had a wonderful time. Life just can't get any better!!
Saturday, April 6, 1995
Dear Diary,
Today has been the worst day of my entire life. Around noon I actually said a swear word!! I was doing a bit of
gardening on the side of the house when I noticed a few trucks pull in the driveway at about ten o'clock. I asked them who
they were and one said he was there to measure my house so he could give me estimates for my new guttering and the
other said he was there to fix my plumbing. I told them both that they were mistaken. Then the pizza cars arrived right
behind the taxis and the limousine. The next thing I knew, my street was beginning to fill up with just about every service
truck you could imagine.
Police cars, tow trucks, roofing repair, cement trucks, painters, lawn care, delivery services, singing telegrams,
electricians and a hundred others that I can't even remember. The worse part of it was the newspaper and television
reporters. They all claimed that they were contacted on Friday and told that something really amazing was going to
happen here at 10:00 today and they kept asking me questions. Most of the service and repair men wanted some sort of
compensation for driving all the way to my house but the police said I didn't have to pay anything since I didn't call. Traffic
was backed up for an eight block radius for a few hours, all of them wanting to talk to me and after the whole thing was
over, I had to go to the police station to fill out a report. Luckily, no charges were filed against me.
Sunday, April 7, 1995
Dear Diary,
Quite an embarrassing day at church. Several members brought newspapers with them asking me about my rather
large story on the front page and I had no other choice but to remind everyone that we were there to worship God and not
talk about my personal problems. Then, while at church, a delivery man arrived and asked for my signature for a delivery
of 30 port-o-potties. Reverend Colwell gave me dirty looks for the rest of the service.
Monday, April 8, 1995
Dear Diary,
After all that's happened to me I decided to call in sick to work today. It's probably best that I did because my boss
called this morning yelling that somebody had faxed him 100 pages of nothing but my name. I'm starting to think that
maybe I should start looking for some new employment. Other than that it's been sort of a peaceful day. I had to leave the
phone off the hook, of course, and everytime somebody knocked at the door or honked their horn outside it was either a
pizza delivery man, a taxi or a limousine. I suppose that I'll just have to get used to this sort of thing. Ah, almost forgot,
something seems to be wrong with my America On-Line account. I logged in and had 200 pieces of mail but I know that
can't be right because they were all blank.
Tuesday, April 9, 1995
Dear Diary,
Who is Roy? Every time they prank me I hear them saying weird things about some guy named Roy. Who are these
people and why do they hate me?? What did I do? Well, I think their fun is about to end because I called Pacific Bell this
morning and their giving me a new and unlisted number and they're password protecting my phone account.
Wednesday, April 10, 1995
Dear Diary,
I guess I showed THEM. I haven't recieved one phone call today and the only thing bad that's happened is that they
keep sending pizzas to my house. Now how childish are these people, sending pizzas to me?? Like that's really going to
have any effect on me.
Thursday, April 11, 1995
Dear Diary,
Well, my unlisted number solution didn't last too long. Already a new ad has appeared in the paper, listing my
computer for sale for $200 and my phone has been ringing all day. At work, the new schedule came out and my hours
have been cut by about 20 hours this week. When I got home, I couldn't get in either door because both had peices of
metal shoved into the locks. I had to call the land lord at midnight to come over, then he made me call the police.
As a last resort we had to bust open the kitchen window. The locksmith won't be here until tomorrow afternoon. I still
haven't figured out who's responsible for all of this. Perhaps a local bbser? I don't remember making enemies with anyone.
Friday, April 12, 1995
Dear Diary,
Quite a normal day today. When I woke up there were Hustler centerfolds taped on every one of my windows, facing
inwards so whatever window I looked out of I saw Miss January. I have to admit, out of all their pranks, this one turned
me on the most. I left them up until afternoon and just stared out the windows all day and touched myself. It was great.
Saturday, April 13, 1995
Dear Diary,
Quit my job at K-Mart. Me & the boss got in a fight over another one of their pranks. Seems one of them must have
hacked into a demolition service's computer and changed a few orders around and half of K-Mart was torn down early this
morning. I don't know why the boss is so mad at ME, I didn't do it.
They also had orders to tear down my own house but luckily the wrecking crew got that order mixed up (or maybe it
was a type-o?) and knocked down the guy's house across the street from me which is actually a pretty good deal for me
because they were always playing that loud satanic music all the time late at night and they never listened to me when I
went over there to preach to them.
Sunday, April 14, 1995
Dear Diary,
Good sermon today. I locked alot of the sunday school children in the basement while everyone was upstairs and as
far as I know, the parents are still looking for them. I keep hearing all these weird voices in my head and I think it's God
talking to me but I'm not sure. Why does God want me to go to all the pet stores in town and buy gerbils?? Earlier this
evening, my car got towed out of my driveway. I don't know why, but it did. I just sat at the window and watched the man
tow it while I drooled on myself. I also got an e-mail message from those guys harrassing me and they gave me their e-mail
address. It's one of those weird addresses that aren't on the AOL service and the address is president@whitehouse.gov, so
obiously this guy is the president of some company. I e-mailed him back and told him exactly what I think of him and what
I'm going to do to him when I get my hands on him.
Monday, April 15, 1995
Dear Diary,
Time went by so slowly today becuase I have nothing to do since I lost my job. Several delivery companies came today
and gave me things that I didn't order, including 18 dozen roses. How do these people afford these things? My phone
stopped working again and my power went off around noon. I also recieved my phone bill and the total on it is $3813.23
so I guess they made some kind of mistake on my bill. I'm thinking about moving and starting life over.
Tuesday, April 16, 1995
Dear Diary,
Mom called. She says that she would have called sooner but her phone was shut off along with her electricity, gas and
water and someone had boarded up all the windows and wedged the doors shut and she had finally escaped by going in
the basement and digging a tunnel into the next door neighbors basement.
[The rest of the diary was just too gruesome to publish. No wait, that's not it, the rest of it all got wiped out in a freak
hard drive accident. No, that's not it either, I just don't feel like making anymore of it up. Yeah, that's the reason. But if
you'd like to get the real James Heggie's comments on this story, you can give him a ring by dialing 403-340-2267. He's
sitting by the phone, afraid to leave the house...]
Annoying The Hell Out Of Operators – RBCP
OPER: U.S. West, how may I help you?
RBCP: Yes, is there any way you can op divert a toll free number for me so that the long distance company doesn't get
my ANI and I can make fraudulent calls with my stolen calling card numbers?
OPER: What?
RBCP: Could you dial a toll free number for me?
OPER: Sure, what's the number?
RBCP: 1-800-673-7286 (1-800-OPERATOR)
OPER: Okay. (Puts the call through) Thank you for calling with U.S.West.
RBCP: Yeah, well it's not as if I had a whole lot of choice here, now is it? Who else did you expect me to call with?
U.S.West is the only company out there for me to op divert my calls. What's WITH you??
OPER: Thank you. (Call goes through)
AT&T: AT&T, could I have the number that you're calling from?
RBCP: You don't have the number I'm calling from?
AT&T: No, the computer didn't pick that up.
RBCP: That's crazy, I wonder why it didn't pick it up.
AT&T: I'm not sure could I have the number you're calling from?
RBCP: So if you don't have my number I could give you someone else's number and then when I use stolen fraudulent
calling cards it wouldn't get traced back to me but to the number I gave you, right?
AT&T: I have no idea, sir.
RBCP: Or I could tell you a number closer to the number I'm calling and that way I'd get a cheaper long distance rate,
right?
AT&T: Sir, do you need to make a phone call or not?
RBCP: I'm calling from 512-703-89 uh, oh...let's say 57.
AT&T: Okay, could I have the number you're calling?
RBCP: Yes, I'm making a harrassing phone call to 403-340-2267.
AT&T: Did you say harrassing?
RBCP: No.
AT&T: And your billing?
RBCP: The calling card that I ordered in someone else's name and I'm using for fraudulent purposes is 616-xxx-xxxxxxxx.
AT&T: (Puts my call through without even saying thank you.)
OCI: OCI, can I help you?
RBCP: LET ME TALK TO YOUR FUCKING SUPERVISOR RIGHT NOW!
OCI: One minute please... This is the Rolonda, may I help you?
RBCP: Hi, Rolonda.
OCI: Operator leaving line.
RBCP: Why?
OCI: Because you're the same person that was doing this all day yesterday. Conversation with a Sprint operator
using their 102520 code...
SPRT: This is Sprint, can I help you?
RBCP: I just needed to find out how the weather is in Wynonna, Minnesota today.
SPRT: Excuse me?
RBCP: I didn't say anything.
SPRT: You need a weather report? Where are you?
RBCP: I'm in Texas and you're in Wynonna, Minnesota, right?
SPRT: I'm not allowed to give out that information.
RBCP: Well, you saying that only proves that I'm right. If I was wrong, you'd say, "No, I'm not in Minnesota" but you
didn't, therefore I'm right.
SPRT: How do you know we're in Minnesota?
RBCP: Because you're sitting in a building on Third & Johnson Commercial Court. And you drive a blue car.
SPRT: I don't drive a blue car. (Goes and gets her supervisor...)
SUPR: This is Dan, can I help you?
RBCP: Are you or are you not on Third Street in Wynonna, Minnesota??
SUPR: Who are you calling?
RBCP: I'm calling the Sprint office in Wynonna, Minnesota, Dan.
SUPR: Well, do you need to place a call or not?
RBCP: No, not really, I just wanted to annoy you people.
SUPR: How are you doing there in Corpus Christi, Texas?
RBCP: Ooooooo, you've got my city but do you have my number? I have yours and it's 507-454-8366. Let's see you
top that one, Dan.
SUPR: We know exactly who you are and if you don't stop calling here we're going to send the police over.
RBCP: And?
(I get hung up on)
Try using OCI who doesn't use ANI and scientific studies have shown that they hire the lamest, stupidest operators in
the world. You can be as mean as you want to them and they won't hang up, they'll just throw insults right back at you.
Best of all, they'll believe anything you tell them. Dial 1-800-288-2880. When you hear the dial tone, hit 0 a couple of
times until you get a live operator. Have a good time.
Deeply Disturbed Tells His Story - A TWAT Production - by SPiNALBOB
[The following is a file that I'm reprinting without permission taken from the TWAT zine and written on June 19,
1994. If you haven't heard of TWAT then call Whombat Communications and download a copy today.
RedBoxChiliPepper]
Well... this is SPiNALB0B of [FaT]. And I would like to say a couple lines before the interview. Deeply Disturbed is a
troubled boy, and needs to be helped. If you could help by donating money, to pay for his upcoming therapy, it would be
greatly appreciated. I failed to get the address to send the money to in my haste to leave after the interview (I had to catch
a plane). If you could contact Deeply Disturbed, than you can probably get the address from him. Deeply Disturbed can be
reached on IRC as deeply_d on the k00l chanel #ANSI or #NATiON whichever one is more 31337. He could have been
reached via k0deline, but...
SB: Testing... Testing... One... Two... Three... Alright, let's see. This is SPiNALB0B interviewing Deeply Disturbed
on June 15, 1994. OK, Are you ready?
DD: Yeah, I think.
SB: OK, Deeply Disturbed, can I call you Deeply?
DD: No.
SB: Allright... Uhh.... Now for my first question.
DD: Fire away.
SB: How did you get into the ANSi Scene?
DD: It all started two years ago in WWiVNet. I was CoSysOp on a WWiV board called THE K-K00L WAREZ
PALACE, Ottowa's only 2400 baud WWiV WaReZ board, and I was looking through the message basses, which I usually
don't do.
SB: And why was that.
DD: I only had a 2400 baud modem, and I spent all my time downloading WaReZ. I was CoSysOp because I was the
only person who called except for a friend of mine, who's handle was Lord Chester. Anyway, I had downloaded all the
warez that were on his BBS at the time, and decided to just call and see what the board was really like. I discoverd
WWiVNet. It was amazing. So many neat and interesting people were on there. I was in total awe of one sub in
particular: THE ANSI BIN. I was mystified by the neat blocks on the screen. I decided then and there to get a VGA
monitor. I only had a monochrome then. The next day I had my friend Lord Chester walk up to the guy in Radio Shack
and ask him to show him the new CD players.
SB: Yes, this is all very interesting. Go on...
DD: And while he was, I grabbed a VGA monitor and card, and ran out of the store. I had my Bart Halloween mask
on, so nobody would know it was me.
SB: And what did you do then?
DD: I took it home and set it up. I unzipped my registered copy of THEDRAW, which I had never used, but I had
gotten because it was a ware. I then started to draw. I got so much into it, that I stayed up four days straight drawing
ANSi. My first picture was of my dog, Peaty. It was cool. I showed it to Chester, and he got so excited he got an erection.
He was so happy, because he had never gotten an erection before. Neither had I, but that's another story.
SB: Uhh... yes... good.
DD: Anyway, I spread it on the other local boards, and the SysOps of the local boards liked it. I started doing ads for
Remote Access boards. In a couple months I was up to WIldcat and Spitfire Logon Screens. I had been saving up my
lunch money for a while, and when I got enough, I went and bought a 14.4 modem. I was so excited! I got home, and was
shaking so hard, I had to get my mom to install it.
SB: Yes, and then?
DD: Well... A couple months later I joined a local ANSi group called [MaTH].
SB: What does [MaTH] stand for?
DD: I don't know. I never asked. I just thought it was cool. ANyway, I drew for them for a while, and then moved on
to another group, [KKAP] which stands for K-Kool Ansi People. After that I moved from group to group until I finally
joined ACiD. It was so amazing. I got to meet really awesome people that had no lives just like me. My friend Lord
Chester now draws for iCE. He started a couple weeks after I did, because he wanted to do some menus for his new GT
Power board. His current handle is Dark Wolf.
SB: You mean the artist of that Excellent Suicidal Shrimp ANSi?
DD: I think so. I don't know. All I remember is his ANSi of two guys doing the "horizontal polka." That one is my
favorite ANSi ever made.
SB: Uhhhh... OK...
DD: Anyway... I now draw for NATiON. It's really keen. I love it there. I like talking to my fellow members like
Maestro, Sociopath, and Mr. Sinister. They are all always on the Boards like me, so they're cool.
SB: Shure. I have another question.
DD: Hold up, I think my mom is coming... ALLRIGHT MOM!!!! I PROMISE NOT TO WEAR YOUR CLOTHES
ANYMORE!!!! I CAN'T COME NOW!!! I'M TALKING TO MY FRIEND!!! NO, HE'S NOT GAY!!! THAT'S MY OTHER
FRIENDS!!! Anyway, fire away.
SB: Uhhh... Ok, when do you draw ANSi's?
DD: I usually stay on my computer all day. I quit school to draw ANSI, so I have alot of time to draw.
SB: Do you do speed or anything to stay awake?
DD: Speed? What's that? Is that that new movie? I read about it in the FedNet music sub. No, I usually stick a stick
up my ass, which keeps me awake, and makes me feel real happy at the same time.
SB: Do you ever regret being an ANSi dude.
DD: NEVER!
SB: You swear?
DD: Uhhh... Sometimes I think about running away, getting married to Chester, and moving to San Francisco, so I
don't have to worry about ANSi anymore, but when I start to draw, it just all goes away, and I become one with the screen.
SB: What do your parents think of this?
DD: They hate it, but then, I hate my parents. My mom hates it when I put on her clothes, and my dad has hated me
since he caught me screwing Peaty in my closet one day. But that all is gone when I draw ANSi, and all I have to worry
about is if my ANSi makes the next pack in time, or if I'll get accepted to the new ANSi boards, or how long my k0dez will
last.
SB: Well...
Phone Losers of America Headline News
Halting Harassment - taken from the Belleville News-Democrat, Sept. 7, 1995
The information superhighway has plenty of bumps on it, as seven metro-east families know all too well. They've
been targeted for phone harrassment by a computer hackers group. Since their names and phone numbers were added to
a "hit list" on computer bulletin boards, they've received pizzas they didn't order, bills for phone calls they didn't make and
harrassing and obscene phone calls. It's the technological equivalent of someone writing a name and number on a
restroom wall, only with a much larger audience. The harassment has come from as far away as Sweden.
A lot of people no doubt see this as another reason why computer networks ought to be regulated by the federal
government. But we don't need bureaucrats policing cyberspace. Enforcement would be difficult if not impossible, and
there's the issue of freedom of speech.
That doesn't mean that people should have to put up with harassment. It says right in the front of the phone book
that it's a criminal offense for anyone to make obscene or harassing phone calls. And obviously it's illegal to charge food
and phone calls and other items in someone else's name. Why aren't the police and the phone companies doing more to
catch the culprits?
The phone companies' biggest piece of advice is for people to not give out their phone number to strangers. That
suggestion is weak. One of the families paid $50 to switch to an unpublished number, and the hackers had it within a
week.
How did the hackers get the number? Most of them are in their teens and early 20s. Has a group of kids outsmarted
the phone company and all the technology at its disposal? The phone companies need to beat the hackers at their own
game and track them down. Then the police need to arrest them and the justice system needs to prosecute them under
existing laws.
[Ironically, that was the only article on the editorial page that didn't have a name signed to it. Above the article was a
cartoon of a kid sitting at his computer (with a BORN TO HACK bumper sticker stuck to the side of the monitor) and a dad
& mom was in the background. The dad was saying, "YOU tell him he's grounded. The last time I tried he enlisted me in
the Marines!"
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
512-703-8910 - PLA Voicemail System (RBCP)
314-995-1261 - PLA Voicemail System (Zak)
618-797-2339 - Roy's Place BBS
503-928-4912 - Whombat Communications
http://www.basenet.net/~apok0lyp/welcome.html - PLA web site
FTP.FC.NET - pub/deadkat/phreaking/PLA
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
whombat@blitzinfo.com - RedBoxChiliPepper)
cactus@i1.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lp@i1.net - To contact Apok0lyps
Issue #037
December 20, 1995
"We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Marry Christmas!
And a harrassment-free new year!"
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PLA Christmas Carols - Colleen Card
Send-A-Song Services - RBCP
Getting The Most From FACS - RBCP
What's The Deal With The 512 VMB?
Ramblings by Apok0lyps
PLA Headline News
T'was the night before Christmas and all around the house, not a creature was stiring except for Redboxchilipepper
who was rummaging through this innocent family's network interface box, clipping their lines and running a long
extension cord down the block into his own house so he could call a bunch of 900 numbers. (Well, okay, so it doesn't
rhyme, sue me.)
This entire issue is in ASCII. Aaaaarrrgh! YOU can change that, though. E-mail me at whombat@blitzinfo.com and
tell me if you prefer issues in ASCII or ANSI. Registered voters only, please. This entire issue is for entertainment
purposes only. We're not responsible for your stupidity. We're also not responsible if you don't find this issue entertaining.
(Hey, we're not responsible for OUR stupidity, either...) Oh, and Merry Christmas!
Would you like to be able to get the 0day PLA? Now you can! I've started a PLA mailing list. If you'd like to be added
to the list or know of somebody else who wouldn't mind being on the list (such as president@whitehouse.gov), e-mail me
at whombat@blitzinfo.com and tell me in 1500 words or less, why I should add you to the mailing list. ("SUBSCRIBE PLA"
is acceptable) You'll be the first to get every new issue, along with updates and the quarterly Phone Book. If you've ever emailed me before, chances are that I already added you to the list. Also I'm working on making a new PLA web page so if
you want to check that out, try http://www.blitzinfo.com/users/whombat/pla.html.
To help spread the holiday cheer I included an article that'll aid you in defrauding Send-A-Song so you can send some
holiday cheer to your loved ones by phone. And to your hated ones, you can send LOTS of holiday cheer, again and again,
day in and day out for hours straight, song after song, note after note until their ears bleed from hearing WAY too much
Garth Brooks. So, enjoy this issue of PLA and be sure to e-mail some holiday greetings to all the PLA members, listed at
the bottom of this issue. But first, read this transcript of a phone call with the billing operator we had the other day:
WEST: US West Repair, how can I help you?
RBCP: Hi, I'm having a little bit of trouble on my line here.
WEST: Could I get your area code and phone number?
RBCP: Yeah, it's 503-xxx-xxxx
WEST: And what seems to be the problem?
RBCP: Well, early this morning I went out in my yard and you know the network interface box that's way up by the
roof? Well there was some kid up there with a big orange phone plugged in so I picked up a brick and hit him with it and
he fell down and ran off but the orange phone is still hanging out of my box
WEST: Was this a U.S.West employee up there?
RBCP: No, it was just some kid. I think he was one of those phone phreaks but it's really messing up the reception on
my phone and I tried hooking up a wire coat hanger and some alluminum foil into the phone but it's still pretty fuzzy
sounding.
WEST: Okay, I can send somebody out there today to take care of it. You say there's a phone hanging out of the box?
RBCP: Yeah, I would take it down myself but it's way up there by the roof and I don't have a ladder. There also seems
to be new wires running from the telephone poll and into the box. I could yank those down but I don't want to get
electrocuted or anything.
WEST: Oh, there's not enough power in those to electrocute you.
RBCP: Yeah but there's also some Christmas lights running from the telephone poll into the box and they're lit up and
also the cable T.V. wire is going in there and I just don't wanna touch anything.
ZAK: And then he hooked up a remote control to the phone and he's been driving it all over the house!
RBCP: And he painted my network interface box red, too.
WEST: Am I speaking to William right now?
RBCP: Yes, this is WIlliam.
WEST: Could I get your street address, William?
RBCP: I can't really give that out because it's unlisted.
WEST: Well, I have it right here in front of me, I just need to verify that it's correct.
RBCP: I read this newspaper article about fraudsters who will call you up and try to get your pin number and
everything.
WEST: Well, I work for U.S. West, I just need your address and you called ME.
RBCP: The problem is that the four numbers in my address are the same as my pin number and the article said that
they'll try to trick you and say they work for the phone company.
WEST: But you called me.
RBCP: You might have somehow reverse-engineered me to call you. Maybe you're responsible for that kid up in my
box.
WEST: Sir, is your address 1584 Columbus, apartment C??
RBCP: Yes, that's the one.
WEST: Okay. (typing) You say that there's Christmas lights hooked up in between your phone box and the telephone
poll?
RBCP: That's right.
ZAK: And they replaced the phone handset with a bologny sandwhich.
WEST: I'll try to have someone out there before five today.
New Generation Christmas Carols - by Colleen Card
Find all your old christmas carols, put them in a box and burn them. They're old, outdated and boring. Here are all
the new songs that you'll hear the little brats singing in church this year.
"Charlie The Lineman" - by Colleen Card
sung to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman"
Charlie the lineman had a very handsome hat.
When he wore it out, all the kids would shout,
"Someday I will steal that!"
Charlie the lineman liked to drink beer with the boys.
He'd listen to a country tune,
while he'd play with telco toys.
There must have been some magic in that big green joint they found,
'Cause right away he began to play and 'ol Charlie danced around.
Charlie the lineman was as sad as he could be,
For he'd lost his job when Bell found out that he'd been smokin' weed.
Charlie the lineman yelled out, "I'll be back someday...
I know some tricks and I'll give them out!" Oh, this lineman's gone astray.
"On Little AT&T Fone Center" - by Colleen Card
sung to the tune of "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
Oh little AT&T Fone Center, how many toys you sell,
They help us to defraud from you even though you wish us well.
We love you PBXes, your calling cards are grand,
And in your undying love for us, you still hold out your hand.
Oh little AT&T Fone Center, your operators are the best,
They're nice to me when I make calls, pranking all the rest.
We make their jobs exciting and some days it is hell,
And even though THEY don't accept, you still wish us well.
"PLA is Coming To Town" by Colleen Card
sung to the tune of "Santa Claus is Coming To Town"
You'd better watch out, you better be nice,
Better kiss ass I'm telling you why,
PLA is coming to town.
We're making a list, checking it twice,
Gonna find out who's paying the price,
PLA is coming to town.
We'll call you when you're sleeping,
We'll call you when you're awake,
We'll call your mom and dad for you,
So leave town, for goodness sake!
You'd better watch out, you better be nice,
Better kiss ass, I'm telling you why,
PLA is coming to town.
"We Three Phreaks From PLA Are" - by Colleen Card
sung to the tune of "We Three Kings of Orient Are"
We three phreaks from PLA are,
Pranking people from near and from far,
Finding their numbers, finding their names,
Fone company tells us all.
Chorus:
O--- Telco friendly, telco free,
Telco come and dance with me,
Dreams I see them, can't redeem them,
but I've got an operator's key.
We are born to freedom and strife,
Anger crashing all of our lives,
Pick up a fone, leave me alone,
I think I'll just call your wife.
(repeat chorus)
Kardz and k0dez to offer have I,
Go to Radio Shack, red boxes I buy,
Cactus, cactus, cactus, cactus,
We promise to make you cry.
(repeat chorus)
"Have yourself an Evil Little Holiday" - by Colleen Card
sung to the tune of "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Have yourself an evil little holiday,
Break into a fone,
Make free calls all over,
Including Rome!
Have yourself an evil little holiday,
Make an operator scream,
From now on it's funny just to be mean.
Here we are in olden days,
Happy golden days of bore,
Greedy relative who want a calling card,
Pinch my cheek too hard once more.
Available telcos, everyone's inside now, ripping open gifts,
Oh what a great security r-i-f-t!
Have yourself an evil little holiday now!
O Telephone Pole" - by Colleen Card
sung to the tune of "O Christmas Tree"
O telephone pole, o telephone pole,
You rise so high and mightily,
O telephone pole, o telephone pole,
You rise so high and mightily.
Your pegs are strong in summer's heat,
And frosty in the winter sleet.
O telephone pole, O telephone pole,
You are brown and mighty.
"Anarchy" - by Colleen Card and RedBoxChiliPepper
sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells"
Running through your yards, popping open cans,
Sometimes clipping wires, then we eat some spam.
Stealing people's mail, toilet papering trees,
Running from the cops and feds that chase us in the breeze.
Oh, anarchy, anarchy, set their yard on fire.
Hit their window with a stick and loosen up their tires.
Fuck the Bells, Fuck the Bells, burn their building down,
Dive into their dumpsters when rent-a-cops aren't around.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas Revised" - by RedBoxChiliPepper
On the Twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me...
Twelve Virgin Visas,
Eleven black tone dialers,
Ten stolen P.C.s,
Nine lineman's handsets,
Eight Motorolas,
Seven operators,
Six red box crystals,
Fiiiiiiive E.S.N's.
Four cans of Jolt
Three fake I.D.s,
Two airline tickets,
And a janitor job at AT&T!
Send-A-Song Services - by RBCP
One ad that I've been noticing popping up in every mall in the country the last few years is the Send-A-Song service.
It's an 800 number you can dial and using your Visa or Mastercard, you can send the song of your choice to any phone
number in the United States. The fax I received from them states, "In minutes, you can choose the perfect song, add your
personally recorded greeting and specify a date and time for delivery. The Send-A-Song can be ordered for immediate
delivery or up to six months in advance. Delivery is guaranteed."
Using your V/MC, the price for this service is $9.95 for one song or $24.95 for three songs. Sort of pricey, but for
cardholders like us, money is no object. This service is perfect to make your fellow phreaks smile or to make security
officials cry when you send them "Happy Birthday" by the New Kids on the Block, 300 times a day.
The only drawback is the lame selection of songs they offer. You can send someone a traditional song by various
artists and they just started getting REALLY hip and adding in alot of country songs. (gag) The best you can hope for is an
old top-40 song that isn't too nausiating. And if you're just sending a song to annoy someone, they've got great selections.
One song that I've been asking them to get for me is, "I'll be watching you" by the Police. That would be great for certain
occasions...
When you call their 800 number to make your selection, you have to dial the 800 number direct, or at least make
them think you dialed direct. (Don't call from your house direct, of course.) In the past, I've usually used remote access call
forwarding, but your best bet would be to walk a couple blocks to the nearest pay phone. You can't just op divert. If their
system doesn't get an ANI, you'll be switched over to customer service, who won't be able to help you at all. Send-A-Songs
phone numbers are as follows:
800-272-SONG (7664) Order center, fully automated, Visa/Mastercard
800-999-7635 Customer Service
800-915-3443 SAS Retrival Center (In case you weren't there to get your song.)
Here's a list of songs you have to choose from when calling 800-272-SONG:
Happy Birthday
1101 Happy Birthday - Bing Crosby
1102 Happy Birthday - Eddie Howard
1106 You Say It's Your Birthday -Beattles
1103 Happy Birthday - Instrumental
1105 Happy Birthday - New Kids on / Block
1103 Happy Birthday - Sunsetters
1107 I Wish I Were 18 Again -George Burns
1108 Young At Heart - Frank Sinatra
1109 Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder
1112 Much Too Young - Garth Brooks
1114 Happy Birthday Baby - Ronnie Milsap
Friendship
3001 Thank You For Being A Friend - Gold
3003 You've Got A Friend -Carole King
3002 That's What Friends Are For -Warwick
3004 You've Got A Friend - J Taylor
3007 Friendship, Friendship - Ray Charles
3008 Lean On Me - Bill Withers
3011 Diamonds/Best Friend - Marlyn Monroe
3010 You're The Top - E. Fitzgerald
3014 Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks
3012 Stand By Me - Ben E. King
2119 Anytime You Need A Friend - Mariah C
3015 I Get By With Help - Beatles
3016 From Our House To Yours - Lorrie Mor
3017 Who Can I Turn To - Tony Bennett
3018 Forever Friends - Sandi Patti
3019 Friends - Bette Midler
Love
2001 I just called to say I love you - SW
2002 You are the sunshine of my life
2003 Nobody does it better - Carly Simon
2004 I had to say I love you - Jim
2013 Listen, do you want to know a secret
2006 Crazy For You - Madonna
2015 Love Me Do - Beatles
2017 You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cker
2021 All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
2022 Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley
2024 One In A Million - Larry Grahm
2027 All of Me - Frank Sinatra
2025 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
2029 Your Song - Elton John
2031 Through The Years - Kenny Rogers
2032 You Decorated My Life -K Rogers
2035 Theme from Mahogamy - Diana Ross
2033 Endless Love - Diana Ross
2039 Woman in Love - Barbara Streisand
2040 Memories - Barbara Streisand
2041 Annie's (??) Song - John Denver
2042 Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
2045 Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothrs
2049 It had to be you - Harry Conick
2050 When A Man Loves a Woman - Michael B
2055 12th of Never - Johnny Mathis
2056 Always on my mind - Willie Nelson
2058 Live for Lovin' You - Gloria Es
2060 Love of a Lifetime - Firehouse
2061 Wind Beneath my Wings - Bette M
2062 You Light up my Life - Debbie Boone
2063 I Don't Know Much (But I Know I
2064 Unforgettable - Natalie Cole
2068 Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul
2070 Everything I do for you - Bryan Adms
2071 Here and Now - Luther Vandross
2074 Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin
2077 You are my lover,my best friend
2076 I want to know if I can be your girl
2078 Have I told you lately i love u
2081 Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
2082 Wild Thing - The Trogs
2085 The Way you do the things you do
2087 Baby I need your lovin' - 4tops
2086 I wanna be loved by you - Marlyn Mnr
2088 Can't get enough of your love
2091 I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newt Jn
2093 Dedicated to the One I Love
2097 My girl - The Temptations
2098 Love of my Life - Carly Simon
2099 I will always love you - Whitney Hou
2101 Just A Little Love- Reba McEntr
2102 Have I Got A Deal For You - Reba McN
2103 Two of a kind - Garth Brooks
2104 All of me loves all of you -George S
2105 I still believe in you -Vince G
2106 I swear - John Michael Montgomery
2107 Love can build a bridge - Judds
2108 Shameless - Garth Brooks
2110 Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynet
2111 Help Me Make It - Sammi Smith
2112 I Get A kick Out of you - Frank
2113 Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
2114 Whatta Man - Salt N Pepa
2116 On Bended Knee - Boyz II Men
2117 After The Lovin' - Engelbert Hu
2118 I'd really love to see you tonight
2416 Be my baby tonite - John Montgm
2417 I'll make love to you - Boyz II Men
Anniversary/Wedding
2501 The Anniversary Waltz -Richard Tuckr
2502 Always & Forever - Heatwave
2503 More Today Than Yesterday - Spiral S
2504 You're my best friend - Don Wil
2506 Could I Have This Dance - Anne Muray
2509 You're the best thing that ever
2510 You Again - Forestar Sisters
2511 Chapel of Love - Dixie Cups
2512 Our love is here to stay - Harry Con
2514 Happy Anniversary - Little Rivr
Love/Sexy
2401 Nobody does it better - C Simon
2402 Why Don't we get Drunk -J Buffet
2404 I'd love to lay you down-Conway Twit
2409 Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
2410 Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocals
2411 I feel like makin' love - Bad Co
2412 Let's spnd the nite 2gether-R Stones
2413 Make it with you - Bread
2414 Let get it on - Marvin Gaye
Humorous
5001 It's hard to be humble - Davis
5002 Love Stinks - J. Geils Band
5003 Macho Man - Village People
5004 My Ding-A-Ling - Chuck Berry
5007 Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
5008 I Like Beer - Tom T. Hall
5009 Take this job and Shove it -johnny p
5010 Let go get stoned - Ray Charles
5012 Men - Forrester Sisters
5013 What part of no...-Lorrie Morgan
5014 Let's chase each other around the rm
5015 Another one bites the dust-Queen
5016 Whoomp, there it is! - Tag Team
Missing You
7001 Far Away - Carole King
7002 Missing You - Jim Reeves
7003 I miss you - Harold Melvin
7004 Wishing you were here - Chicago
7006 Missing you now - Michael Bolton
7007 What'll I do? - Linda Ronstadt
7009 Hangin' In - Tanya Tucker
7010 My World is empty without you
7011 Just to hold you again - Mariah Cary
7012 Nights are forever without you
7013 Can'nt stay away from you - Gloria E
Congratulations
7101 What A Wonderful World
7102 Happy Birthday (new baby) - Suns
7103 Calebrate good times-Kool & The Gang
7104 Climb every mountain
7105 Let the good times roll -Ray Charles
7106 Everything's coming up roses
8011 Impossible Dreams - Jim Nabors
7107 Walking Away a Winner - Kathy Mt
7110 Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Apology
7501 I'm sorry - The Platters
7502 I'm Sorry - Brenda Lee
7503 We bury the hatchet - Garth Brooks
7504 You're right, I'm wrong - George
7505 Call Me Irresponsible - Tony Bennett
7506 Hard for me to say sorry-Chicago
7508 Sorry seems to be the hardest word
7509 Can't Live - Mariah Carey
7510 From Now On - Michael Bolton
7511 Please Forgive Me - Bryan Adams
7512 Words Get In The Way - Gloria Estefn
Cheer Up/Get Well
7701 Don't worry, be happy - Bobby Mcfern
7702 Don't you worry 'bout a thing-SW
7704 Here comes the sun - Beatles
7705 Gray skies are gonna clear up
7706 The sun will come out tomorrow-Annie
7708 I feel lucky - Mary C Carpenter
7709 Unanswered prayers - Garth Brooks
7710 Put yourself in my shoes-Clint B
7715 Get on your feet - Gloria Estefan
Family Songs
7801 We are family - Sister Sledge
7802 Having my baby - Paul Anka
7803 I want a girl just like that girl
7805 Daddy's little girl -Mills Bros.
7806 Mammy - Al Jolson
7807 Mama - Jerry Vale
7809 I'll always love my mama - Intruders
7812 Oh my papa - Eddie Fisher
7817 Mama sang a song - Bill Anderson
7818 Home - Alan Jackson
7819 Daddy's Hands - Holly Dunn
7820 Working class hero - Alan Jacksn
7821 Leader of the band - Dan Fogelberg
7822 I thought he walked on water
Thank You
3102 I thank you - ZZ Top
3104 Thank you - Ray Boltz
3103 You made me so very happy - Blood,ST
3105 I owe you one - Aaron Neville
Miscellaneous
8022 Happy Trails - Roy Rogers
8023 On The Road Again - Willie Nelsn
8024 The Dance - Garth Brooks
So fire up your favorite C-Master program and start sending songs to your loved ones (and not so loved ones). It's
easy, it's fun and it's FREE! "Send-A-Song plays approximately an 80-second segment of the song you request, usually the
most familiar verse and chorus. You may sample 3 songs for 15 seconds each when placing your order. The Send-A-Song
automated delivery service will call the number you specified at the time you requested. If an answering machine picks up
or someone else answers and your person isn't there, we'll leave a message which will allow the recipient to call back and
receive their S-A-S. If there is a busy signal or no answer, we'll keep trying..."
What Is The FACS Office And What Can It Do For You?
Are you tired of people changing their phone numbers, making them unlisted and password protecting their phone
accounts so that you can't bug the hell out of them for weeks on end anymore? Well, that will no longer be a problem for
you, once you've obtained the FACS number in your area.
The FACS acronym means Facilities Administration and Control System, but most Bell employes refer to it as either
"Assignment" or "FACS", pronounced "fax." This office can take any address or phone number in the area that it covers
and give you every single number that goes into the entire building/house. This can be extremely useful for a variety of
things, including...
* Getting the unlisted number of someone who's just changed their number.
* Finding out what the additional lines are going into someone's house.
* Finding out what the data line is to a certain company or individual, such as your schhool or place of employment.
* Finding out every number of a business, including every one of their ring-down numbers, data lines, pay phones on
the premises, credit card lines, ATM machine lines, lottery machine lines, etc, etc, etc.
* Want to know more about someone? Get all of the neighbors' phone numbers in his/her apartment complex, call
them all and ask questions...
* Tired of that asshole sysop? This will give you all his voice numbers.
The list could go on forever. Your local FACS number is a valuable thing to have, no matter what you're using it for.
And it's really easy to get ahold of and use. Even easier than the CN/A and they don't require a password! (None I've
encountered, anyway.)
How To Get A FACS Number:
Getting the FACS number is easy, yet tedious and you'll usually end up being put on hold for a few years before you
finally get it. All it requires is a single phone call to the billing office. The residential billing office will work just fine but it'd
be best to go with the business billing office because they answer the phone a lot quicker and are trained to be more
courteous. Residential offices treat you like shit. So, grab your phone book, turn to the front few pages and look up the
number for the Billing Office for Business Accounts. Call it. (It really doesn't matter if you divert this call or you dial
direct.) Type a few random selections on their automated menu until you get a real operator. The conversation would go
something like this...
OPR: Southwestern Bell, how may I help you?
YOU: FACS? I need you to check on an address for me.
OPR: I'm sorry? You've reached the billing department.
YOU: What? This isn't Assignment?
OPR: Nooooo, this is the RMC.
YOU: Hmm, in my handbook it has you listed as the FACS. Do you happen to have the FACS number there in your
handbook?
(At this point, some of the more clueless employees will ask you exactly what FACS is. Just explain that it's the
number you use to find out what lines are going into a certain address, if they ask.)
OPR: Let me check here for you...Are you with Southwestern Bell?
YOU: Yes, this is Greg Carson. I'm a lineman. Phear me.
OPR: ...Okay, the number I have here is 1-800-673-7286.
YOU: Isn't there a regular number in there that's not toll free?
OPR: Hmmmm...yes, there is. It's 210-xxx-xxxx.
YOU: Okay, great! Thanks alot, you putz, you just gave me the information I need to cause alot of misery here in
town! Bye! <click>
And that's about all you have to do. If you're unlucky with one operator, try right back with another operator. Usually
the only problem I encounter is an operator that doesn't know what FACS is or doesn't know where to find the number for
it, even if I explain to them it's in their handbook. A few of the operators have actually called up the FACS office
themselves and run the addresses for me, THEN they gave me the number to FACS. U.S.West, you gotta love 'em.
You're best off with a number that's NOT toll-free. Mostly because the FACS toll-free numbers that I've dealt with
only let you dial from within that state, making the number useless after I moved. Besides, dialing the 800 number would
mean a permenant record of your number on their bill. Try to get the billing office to connect you to the FACS the first
time, then ask the FACS office what their direct line is, to make it easier for you to call.
- Dealing With FACS Once You Have The Number -
Okay, good job, you got the FACS number. The rest is easy. It seems that every FACS's main security proceedure is to
ask, "Do you work for us?" If you confirm that you do work for them, you've passed the test and they'll tell you anything
you want to know. So far, in my experiences, this holds true for Southwestern Bell, GTE, U.S.West and Ameritech. (GTE
being the friendliest and most helpful.)
The area that one FACS office covers varies with all the different phone companies. When I dealt with Southwestern
Bell, it only covered my city and nowhere else but with Ameritech, the office covered an entire third of Illinois.
The GTE number I had covered the entire state. (But just the areas serviced by GTE, of course.) If you reach a FACS
office that doesn't cover the region you're looking for, they'll almost always happily give you the number you need to access
the area you need and will sometimes connect you to it.
When you finally call FACS, you'll be pretending to work for the same company. I usually claim to be a lineman
because I can think of more excuses to their questions. Sometimes I try being a billing office operator. Whichever you're
more comfortable with. The conversation will go somewhat as follows...
(FACS offices are notorious for making you hold forever. Better bring some coloring books to play with while you
wait. I've had to wait for over a half hour before...)
FAC: Can I help you?
YOU: This is Paul from Ameritech, I just need for you to run an address for me.
FAC: Okay, which office are you with, Paul?
YOU: I'm not in an office, I'm working in the field in Bloomington, Indiana.
FAC: What is it, exactly that you need?
YOU: Well, I'm in a telco can here and I'm trying to sort out all the lines for a building down the street. I just need you
to read off all the cable, pairs and numbers going into this address here.
FAC: Okay, and what's the address?
YOU: It's 1313 Mockingbird Lane SE
(Note: You HAVE to know the exact address, including whether it's a Lane, Street, Avenue, Etc. and if it's got a SE
(SouthEast), NE, NW, SW in front of it or after it. If one little measley thing is out of place, it won't come up on their
computer.)
FAC: (type, type, type!) Okay, I have three lines going into that address with room to add one more line. I have 6560284 on cable 10 and pair 758, then 656-2913 on cable 10 and pair 720, and 656-0831 on cable 10 and pair 402.
YOU: Great! Any other lines going into that address?
FAC: Nope, that's it.
YOU: Okay, then. Thanks alot and have a good day!
It's probably not a good idea to ever insult the FACS lady and/or harrass her after you've gotten the information you
need. This will just piss her off and make her know she's been had, thus tightening security for everyone else who calls
after that, including yourself.
If you're wanting to check on multiple apartments in a single building, you'll have to ask them to type in each
individual address, such as 1313 Mockingbird Lane SE Apartment 12, 1313 Mockingbird Lane SE Apartment 13 and so on.
Some of them have actually been nice enough to fax me the list of numbers if it's a really large list. (You can have them fax
it to a copy shop for you, or a number diverted to your house.)
If you don't have their correct address or don't have an address at all, you can still ask them to check a number for
you. When they ask for the address, give them an address which you know doesn't exist. Frustrated, they'll finally ask you
for the phone number and they'll run it off of that. Usually, you'll also get the address this way, but not always. Sometimes
they'll want you to read off the work order number. Just tell them that you left that in your truck and your truck is two
blocks away and you're too lazy to go get it.
What The Hell Is Going On With PLA's 512 Voicemail Box??
Well, in a nutshell, it's going down. If you're one of the people who used to call 512-703-8910, enjoy it while you can. I
bought the voicemail expecting to use it for YEARS, paying for it legitimately with hard earned cash even. (Well, probably
stolen cash, but it's legitimate on their end, isn't it?)
First of all, they moved locations which changed my VMB number. (If you don't remember, the details on that one are
outlined in a previous PLA issue.) Last week I called them to arrange my six month in advance payment like I always do
and they informed me of a slight change in rates.
Usually it would only cost me a flat rate of $7.50 a month, nothing else. NOW they want to charge $7.50 a month
which will allow the box to be accessed only thirty times in a month. That means I'm only allowed to have one single call
on it per day, including myself calling in to check messages. That's okay, though, because for each additional call over 30 a
month, they charge an access rate of 42 cents. Only 42 cents, that's not so bad, is it?
Well, I asked them how many times my box had been accessed last month and they checked and told me only 283
times. I quickly grabbed my pocket calculator out of the holster on my belt. Dead batteries, so I found a pen in my pocket
protector and did some quick math and figured that I'd be paying $118.86 per month for my additional calls, plus the
$7.50 per month just to own the box. And the guy on the phone didn't seem to think that was just a little outrageous. He
promised me that someone would call back, but nobody ever did.
So, I've stopped paying and I've also made a lot of collect and third-party billed calls to my VMB number. As of this
writing it's still up and working but it should be going down really soon. I just hope that some horrible holligan at random
doesn't call up the voicemail company and offer to pay for my box a year in advance with their credit card. Now that would
REALLY piss me off! (ahem)
I strongly urge anyone who reads this, never to call and harrass the employees at 512-458-6005 or 512-472-3535,
especially Ann. She's a really nice lady and doesn't deserve to be phoned at work and rude, horrible things said to her. And
if you're ever in Austin for a HoHoCon Convention or any other reason and you just happen to be walking around
downtown and pass by 1011 San Jacinto, please don't throw any bricks through that beautiful picture windows of theirs.
And whatever you do, don't ever go inside to the room with a big "300" on the door and super-glue their locks shut or steal
all of their mail. That would REALLY upset me. Especially if you happened to be carrying a one gallon bucket of hot pink
latex paint and you spilled it all over the hallway there and some of it splashed on their door. Gee, I hope HoHoCon IS in
Austin next year...
Ramblings by Apok0lyps: 618 ReVieW
Awww yeah! R0y in da house! Ok kids, here's what's been going on in the good old 618 latley. (LIke any of you really
care)
First off, there was the short lived Booty Call BBS. Zak, Nekid Amy [the girl from PLAGIF07], Zensless1, Quinbus
Flestrin, dhate and myself set it up one night out of sheer boredom. We wanted to see who all would call and act like an
idiot. We used the names Papa Ray, Fly Honey, M.C. K0sh3r, D.J. Skratch -n- Sniff, Jermaine and Big Mack as the sysops.
About 40 people fell for it. I deleted the bbs later and forgot to save all the mail and shit, but none of it was worth
reprinting. Basicly we set it up to look like a bbs ran by gansta rappas, but that failed. Everyone just logged on and played
Studs and shit. No one posted or anything. A few people left us feedback trying to act like nazis and shit. Those people
were Ramsey and Skinhead. What idiots!
Next, there was the saga of #rock. It is still going on today. Basicly what happened was El_jefe (Zak) went into #rock
because that's where [Z3ns] (Zensless1) liked to hang out. Some stupid bitch called El_jefe an asshole. Now while not
totally untrue, it was enough to piss him off. He had [Z3ns] op him, then he bankicked everyone and took over. After that
had become boring, he left. Later he came back and it was empty. So he told everyone else and we all started hanging out
in there, taunting those who would come in. We still use it every night, and taking it from the losers as become easy. Doing
things like netsplit hacks gets old fast, so you have to trick them. My favorite trick is to make them run PLA.IRC, a script
written by dhate. Not only does it make them say fruity things like "I Wanna suck dick in the name of r0y!" and "I love to
jerk of to pix of Nekkid Amy!!", but it also adds "+ +" to their .rhost, mails me with their passwd file and floods certian
people with an ls of their entire system.
Other days we would do shit like choose countries to envade, but that would result in us getting kicked pretty quick.
But then there was #heislord. Now you may remember good ole' Scott the Beleiver and is fat ass daughter Chatty. Well,
when Scott was brave enough to irc, he would go hang out in #heislord, an all christian channel. Well, back in the day, we
would go in there and annoy the hell out of Chatty and Scott, but they quit ircing all of a sudden. (Wonder why??) We quit
going in there regularly until the other night. We were all hanging out in #rock being bored when dhate msged us to come
to #heislord. We went and the stupid fools had just oped him. Now, they generaly NEVER op someone that hasn't spent
tons of time in there kissing ass. But for some reason they decided to be the Good Samaraton with dhate. Bad mistake!
We went in there and deoped everyone. Then started busting out with our usual insults "God molested my kids" and
shit like that. Zak has a way of pissing them off real good. The best part was when a few of them tried to spoof dhate into
giving the channel back. They came to #rock (we had #heislord invite only, and I was holding #heislord2-8) and told
dhate to come to #ircops. I went as well, and they made it +i. They started telling dhate shit like "We can nickname collide
you and your whole server will be off irc!" and "We are ircops buddy, you better give #heislord back right NOW" Now the
funny thing was none of them were ircops because they didn't have a * next to their nicks. If they WERE ircops, the idiots
never used it.
I could go on about this for days, but the best thing to do is come into #rock, unless ofcourse you have a life and
better things to do on irc, and you can see for yourself. It's pretty lame!
Last but not least, I have my personal call to make some people's lives very hard. I used to like to hang out in #anime!
for a time and talk about my favorite shows in there. Well, I met two real assholes in there. One of them goes by the nick
rin but sometimes uses g-wu to fool me. The other changes nicks daily in an attempt to avoid harrassment. Their info is as
follows:
Known Nicks: rin, g-wu, gundam-wu
Real Name: George Wu
email: g-wu@ux5.cso.uiuc.edu or g-wu@cso.uiuc.edu
Goes to U of I Urbana
Things that piss him off: Tell him his dick is broken. Ask him if he has ever been able of fuck a girl all the way. Tell
him Joy is a fuckin whore. Tell him PLA 0wns him!
Known Nicks: rei, gundambab, wu-chan, cranbearri, yu-chan ect.
Real Name: Joy Toda
email: jotoda@leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu or todaj@uhunix.hawaii.edi
HOME PHONE NUMBER: 808-595-6640 or 6690 (can't read my writting)
Goes to U of Hawaii
Things that piss her off: Call her by her real name, Joy! Tell her that she must be really bad in bed if George couldn't
get off. Call her a fuckin whore. Tell her PLA 0wns her. Just say r0y.
Oh well, that ought to do it for me. Sorry this article wasn't more informative, but hey, it's PLA! r0y 0wns y0u!
Classified Ads – Personals
SWF, 15: Hi, my name is Chana Shvonne Williford. I enjoy swimming, computer chatting and annoying other users
on local bbses that I don't even know, giving them my personal ftp site which is set up by all of my faithful friends who
have made a fan club just for me because someday I'm gonna be rich and famous. At least that's what I'd like you to think.
Actually, I wrote all the files myself and convinced one of my cybersex partners on AOL to make a directory for me so
people would think I'm really really popular. If you'd like to visit this FTP site, it is ftp.users.aol.com /goatgrease/chana
and you can look at pictures of me and read all about my amazing life here in Waco, Texas. You can also e-mail me at
walls@big12.metrobbs.com.
Phone Losers of America Headline News
Not a whole lot for the news department this month, just an old T.V. transcript that's been sitting in my computer for
awhile now. Enjoy...
Inmate Danny Faries conducts credit card fraud over the phone
Transcript of the show, 60 Minutes, Sunday September 29, 1991
Mike Wallace (Host): 1-800-CON-MAN is a tale about credit card fraud, a billion dollar business. And while that may
not surprise you, I think what we found in Miami certainly will. It surprised us. For four long years, before he was
convicted of murder, a crafty conman named Danny Faries ran a nationwide Jailhouse Shopping Network, for he ran it all,
without ever leaving his cell in Miami's Dade County Jail, where, believe it or not, inmates have telephones right in their
jail cells and can make local calls and 1-800 calls free of charge.
Danny Faries: I would challenge you, Mr. Wallace, if they put you in a room the size of your bathroom at home for
years at a time with a telephone, that I would challenge you to--that you would come up with some pretty inventive stuff to
do, because you do everything through the phone.
Wallace: And that's exactly what Danny Faries did. Using a telephone from a large cell on the tenth floor of Miami's
Dade County Jail and later from this six-by-eight foot cell, federal investigators acknowledge he managed to steal as much
as $2 million worth of merchandise. And how did the business work?
Accomplices on the outside provided Faries with hundreds of credit card numbers taken from charge slips in hotel
dumpsters. And then he used those credit card numbers to order merchandise from mail-order catalog by telephone,
arranging for the items to be delivered overnight, again to accomplices on the outside, who would sell the goods and split
the proceeds with Faries. Faries even persuaded his fellow inmates to let him use their extension telephone as his own
private. You take the extension phone into your cell...
Faries: Actually, it was a vacant cell that I quite literally had turned into an office. We were having a ball.
Wallace: And you did business.
Faries: Oh, yes, sir, a bumper business.
Wallace: And it went on for four years, with Faries ordering everything from collectible gold and silver coins to Rolex
watches, to video camcorders. And with the help of those accomplices on the outside, he hit states from one end of the
country to the other.
Faries: Oh, it's so easy to find confederates. I split right half with everybody. I mean I never took more than half. I got
robbed a lot but again, you kind of take it on the chin, you know what I mean? It was, like you said, heck, it was all free.
Wallace: So he ordered cases of the best champagne and gourmet gift baskets and thousands of roses, and he had
them sent to the families of other inmates and even to his prison guards.
Faries: They're working stiffs, you know? They're not making much money, and they're seeing this stuff going on, and
they're hearing about Dom Perignon and trips to the Caribbean. And there I am in my cell. They know what's up. There's
no--you know, I tried to send--at Christmas and on holidays, I tried to send out, you know, baskets and...
Wallace: And it costs them nothing.
Faries: Oh, no, no. Perish the thought.
Wallace: Of course, jail officials deny that guards accepted gifts. But one investigator told us off-camera that he
believes some guards did receive items from Danny. And we even found evidence that Danny dabbled in charity. I have
here a Save the Children Federation Inc., Westport, Connecticut, addressed to Daniel Faries, 1151 Northwest 11th Street,
Suite 104. That's your jail cell.
Faries: I'll be darn, yeah.
Wallace: Save the Children.
Faries: Well, yeah. Again, when you have nothing but 24 hours a day, and, you know, late night on Sunday night after
everybody has gone to bed for sure, they always put these little poor pitiful with flies crawling out of their nose Biafran
babies and stuff on--I mean heartbreaking stuff. 1-800 nunmber, MasterCard and Visa. And it's just a phone call. My
position was when the people got their credit card bill, they'd look at it and say, "Well, I didn't order Save the Children
have for $22," and they look at the poor children--they've all flashed on those poor, starving children--I can't believe that
most of them aren't still paying that $22, Mr. Wallace. I would, if somebody did this to me and said, "Look, give, doggone
it!"
Wallace: But what about the cops? Well, they were not amused by the Jailhouse Shopping Network.
Lieutenant Ross Hughes: I think Danny Fairies is a convicted killer and a conman, nothing more.
Wallace: Lieutenant Ross Hughes and fellow Officer Raul Ubieta of the Metro-Dade Police spent months building a
case against Faries, and they knew he had confessed to murdering a friend while under the influence of cocaine.
Hughes: He's already in jail for murder, possibly facing the electric chair. So the fellow has no fear of any reprisal for
the fraud he was doing.
Wallace: So he engaged in what is called the Jailhouse Shopping Network, a very successful enterprise.
Hughes: And he was very comfortable in that role.
Wallace: And he would remain comfortably in business because Hughes and Ubieta's case against him was eventually
dropped by the Dade state's attorney. Why? Insufficient creditble evidence, the state's attorney said. The two Metro-Dade
investigators continued to warn jail officials about Faries' continued phone access, but jail officials said it would violate
Danny's rights to take his phone away.
Hughes: He's allowed access to a telephone.
Wallace: In order to steal? You know perfectly well that he was stealing. I mean, this must have been a matter of some
frustration to you guys who've been after him now, according to this, for a year or two. And you're getting no place with it.
Officer Raul Ubieta: Any time an investigation doesn't come to a proper conclusion for the investigator, it's
frustrating. So...
Wallace: Listen, you told the correction personnel, "Go in there and take the phone out of his cell." What'd they tell
you?
Ubieta: If I recall the memo right, that he couldn't do that.
Wallace: Jail officials finally did search Faries' cell, seizing hundreds of credit card numbers. But that didn't put him
out of business, because he still had a telephone and one hidden credit card number.
Faries: And I had written this on the bottom of my bunk. And it was a woman's card, though. It was Regina Donovan-was the name. And it was a good number. And I said, "Well, here we go. We've got to do something."
Wallace: So Faries used the credit card number to pay for a newspaper ad and a telephone answering serivce.
Faires: And I ran an ad in USA today saying "Cosmetic package: $89.95 value for only $19.95. All major credit cards
accepted. Please call Regina Donovan Cosmetics, a 1-800 number."
Wallace: But Danny never intended to sell any cosmetics. All he was after was a fresh batch of credit card numbers.
Faries: Well, the girls there, they an--they take the orders, and they write down--they--"Thank you for calling Regina
Donovan, may I help you?", "Yes, we saw your ad.", "Oh, yes, may we have--what credit card will we be using today?" They
wrote their number, the expiration. And then at the end of the day, I would call and they'd have all these numbers. It was
incredible And so I just got a whole new stack of numbers and I was off.
Pete Collins: You could call him up any time of the day or night, and he was working around the clock, particularly
when I was interviewing him.
Wallace: Pete Collins is a free-lance writer in Miami who is writing a book about Danny Fairies and his Jailhouse
Shopping Network.
Collins: The operation was working in as many as 40 states. There were as many as 150 drop sites, dozens of
employees, $750,000 documented in stolen goods, perhaps up to $2 million to $4 million, and that was just during an 11month window of his captivity.
Wallace: And you got this mostly from the Secret Service.
Collins: I got all of that from the Secret Service.
Wallace: That's right, the Secret Service. In addition to protecting the president and going after counterfeiters, they
also work credit card fraud cases. And they began to investigate the Jailhouse Shopping Network, too. They searched
Danny's cell twice, and they confiscated over 1000 stolen credit card numbers and catalogs. But Danny still had access to a
telephone, and he still did business, just as he had for nearly four years.
Faries: Even on my cell door at ICDC in Dade County, I had a Mastercard and a Visa logo on the outside of my door.
It was pretty wide open. So...
Wallace: Everybody knew what you were doing, and you kept on doing it.
Faires: It was incredible. I know it's--I just say...
Wallace: I don't get it. Why would they give you access to a phone if they knew what you were doing?
Faries: I give great phone.
Wallace: I'm quite serious. Why would they keep letting you have access to a telephone?
Faries: I don't know. I would--of course, every time that they would say, "If you don't stop this, we're going to take
your phone away," I said, "Okay, then I won't do it anymore."
Wallace: But Danny knew that he had a legal right to phone privileges while awaiting trial. So he was able to go on
stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise. We wanted to find out more for ourselves about telephone
access for the inmates at the Dade County Jail, so we went there to take a look. There's a guy on the phone right there. And
nothing had changed. We visited Danny's old cell. This was the office that Danny Faries worked out of?
Unidentified Man #1: Yes, sir.
Wallace: Not much bigger than somebody's bathroom. We were amazed to find a list of telephone numbers on
Danny's old cell wall. So we called one.
(Speaking on telephone) L.L. Bean order department, Can I order some merchandise this way? And I can order how
much? Can I order $100 or $1,000 or $10,000 worth of stuff? No limit. My name is Mike Wallace, and I wor for 60
Minutes, and I'm sitting in a cell... L.L. Bean hadn't heard about the Jailhouse Shopping Network but they did say that
credit card fraud is a problem for them. And L.L. Bean had received an order from onen Tommie Chappell, the inmate
who inherited Danny's old cell. Explain something to me. I go into your cell and suddenly I see on the wall...
Tommie Chappell: All of Danny's numbers.
Walllace: Are those Danny's numbers? It turns out that Tommie Chappell was only one of many inmates who had
learned how to use the Jailhouse Shopping Network, courtesy of Danny Faries.
Faries: They don't even have to be terribly intelligent and only marginally capable. It's not--it doesn't--it's like a
trainn, Mr. Wallace. I feel like I constructed a train, and just darn near anybody can drive a train. Heck, it's on a track. All
you got to do is put the fuel in, credit card numbers, and this train will go.
Wallace: But Tommie wasn't about to acknowledge to us that he had graduated from the Danny Faries college of
credit card manipulation. You've never done any of this?
Chappell: No.
Wallace: Raise your hand. Since Tommie Chappell wasn't going to confess, we asked Sergeant Ted Tate of the MetroDade credit cardr squad what was going on, what is going on at the Dade County Jail. Sergeant Tate, level with me. It's still
going on...
Sergeant Ted Tate: Yes, sir, it is.
Wallace: ...in Dade County...
Tate: Yes, sir, it is.
Wallace: ...in ICDC, over telephones, with credit cards.
Tate: It's going on in the Dade County Jail System, yes, sir.
Wallace: How come?
Tate: I don't know the answer to that.
Wallace: Well, surely, Lonnie Lawrence, the director of Dade County Corrections, the man who requested a Secret
Service search of Danny Faries' cell, he could explain why the Jailhouse Shoppingn Network was still alive and well.
Lonnie Lawrence: There are legal guidelines that say that we shall provide phone access to inmates.
Wallace: Inside the cell?
Lawrence: Yes. They don't care where you provide it, as long as you provide it.
Wallace: But what about inmates who abuse the phone system? For instance, let's say he's threatening the judge who
put him away on the phone.
Lawrence: We still have the ability to do that.
Wallace: You can take that phone away?
Lawrence: We'll take the phone away.
Wallace: So you can actually take phone privileges away. What you have not been able to do is to take phone
privileges away from guys who are in jail and scamming over the phone.
Lawrence: Well, I think that we've been able to restrict their phone privileges.
Wallace: I went into Danny Faries' old cell this morning three hours ago. Right there is the telephone. Right there on
the wall, there's a list of 1-800 numbers and credit card numbers. I called L.L. Bean. They were taking my order. I was
playing Danny Faries, slick as it could be.
Lawrence: Well, you know we don't have a perfect system.
Wallace: And nobody knows that better than Danny Faries. He was finally sentenced to five years for credit card
fraud on top of an earlier life term for murder. And he was moved to the Charlotte Correctional Institution, a much
tougher Florida state prison, where with prison guards looking on, we met a chastened Danny Faries. He told us that
prison officials here have made sure he can no longer practice his trade.
Faries: I would like to be very clear, I don't want them--perish the thought that they might think I'm still wielding my
telephonic sword, you know what I mean? I can't do that.
Wallace: Why not?
Faries: Here in the state prisons, they're much more sophisticated.
Wallace: So what you're saying is you're going straight, perforce now, now at Charlotte correctional center.
Faries: Yeah--or having to go on a new direction, because the--oh, well, I mean, come on. I'm not just going to roll
over, Mr. Wallace.
Wallace: Isn't there a lady in Fort Lauderdale you've been talking to?
Faries: I don't know. Who are you...
Wallace: Did you offer to set her up in business and rent an apartment from her as a drop site?
Faries: Oh, I'm sure that I probably did.
Wallace: Recently?
Faries: Now, see, you would get a fellow in trouble with all these folks standing around us here.
Wallace: I mean, come on. I mean, you've just professed innocence. You don't do it anymore. That's what you just tod
me, Danny.
Faries: I know. I know. Well, you know, here's what I've got...
Wallace: But somehow you're in ntouch with a lady in Fort Lauderdale, renting an apartment which is going to be a
drop site where you are ordering or she is ordering or somebody is ordering camcorders and things like this...
Faries: As he nervously takes a drink of his root beer. (Drinks root beer.)
Wallace: I mean, you're a crook and a murderer.
Faries: That's what they say. Doggone, I wish they didn't say that, though.
Wallace: Danny Faries has been moved to yet another Florida state prison and he's been told that he will be isolated
from his fellow inmates if he ever abuses the telephone privilege again. And Dade County Jail officials say they now have
new procedures for inmate phones. After we went down there to report this story, those inside jail cell telephones were
removed.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
541-928-4912 PLA Voicemail System (RBCP)
314-995-1261 PLA Voicemail System (Zak)
618-797-2339 Roy's Place BBS
FTP.FC.NET pub/deadkat/phreaking/PLA
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
whombat@blitzinfo.com RedBoxChiliPepper
cactus@i1.net Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
toilet@blitzinfo.com To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@i1.net Apok0lyps
http://www.blitzinfo.com/users/whombat/pla.html Whombat Communications
http://www.basenet.net/~apok0lyp/index.html PLA, Manson, Anime
http://www.compumedia.com/~jnoonan/pla Original PLA Web Page
Issue #038
Released on April 9, 1996
"I'll come over there and blow your punk-ass up!"
-OCI Operator
Look at frightening photos, learn useless facts, make over $693 a day, get lots of chicks, see tons of copyright
infringment, visit the PLA web page today! http://www.peak.org/~bueno/pla.html Issues now in Technicolor.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Review of BustCon '95
Trashing at OCI
PLA Headline News
Random E-mail
Ramblings by Apok0lyps
dhate logs
Wow, it's been four whole months since the last issue. You'd think I'm actually doing something with my life or
something. (Don't worry, I'd never stoop so low.) You'd also think that four months would be long enough to get some
really good content together and release the best issue ever. Well, too bad, I didn't do that. Here's a bunch of rejects for
you to read. Enjoy!
Review of BustCon '95 - by RedBoxChiliPepper
El_jefe and I arrived in Green Lake, Wisconsin around 5:00 on Friday, March 16, 1996. The cab drive over from Fond
du Lac was expensive and a real bitch but since Green Lake hasn't gotten an airport yet, there really wasn't much of an
alternative. On the drive over, the cab got side swiped by a big white van that turned out to be the whole CoTNo gang, just
having fun on the way there. We finally made it to the Heidel House Resort & Conference Center and were greeted by a
few others who had made it there a few days early to scope out the town. Everyone was excited, pumped full of adrenaline
and waiting anxiously for BlowUpASmallTownCon (BustCon) '95.
I could tell this con would be a thousand times better than last year's in Milford, Utah. In the lobby, the usual band of
tall men in dark suits with wires hanging out of their ears were conversing by the far wall. This year it was rumored that
once again, all the rooms would be bugged. Trying to be sneaky, they didn't use their normal frequencies that we could
pick up on our portable scanners and we finally found them operating on the high end of FM radio. I guess their budget
isn't what it used to be.
We made our way into the conference room, payed our $3.98 entrance fee and wandered around. Tables and tables
full of merchandise lined two of the walls. Everything from UFO literature to cable descramblers to Atari 2600s. Netta was
selling back issues of Grey Areas, Emanual Goldstein had a table set up where he giving away 2600 back issues with the
purchase of a red box and Deth Veggie's table was lined with cDc stickers, cDc Tee shirts and hundreds of working, homemade pipe bombs "for informational purposes only & strong enough to blow an arm off."
We found Drunkfux on the other side of the room with a booth set up right in front of the hotels "Phone Closet". The
sign on his booth read, "Long Distance Calls! Anywhere in the World! $1.00 Gets You Unlimited Time!" The line there
was getting longer, especially with the hotel employees. We wandered back outside and found U and Agent69 of POi who
had driven (as usual) so we got in the car to take a tour of Green Lake.
I would talk about the town's beautiful scenery, the rolling hills, the sparkling lakes and all the trees but to tell the
truth it really sucked. We went to McDonald's drive-thru and covered the speaker with PLA stickers, then Agent69 set the
menu board on fire and we left, tossing a 44oz coke into the drive thru window as we passed. Driving back, we noticed that
the phone company's dumpster was on fire.
Back at the hotel, the conference was livening up a little. Three of the town's phone booths had been uprooted from
various places around town and hastily reinstalled in the lobby, each rigged for free calls AND to dispense a quarter after
every call was made. All of the lobby lights had been replaced with black lights and the hotel employees were making
themselves scarce by staying away from the front desk and hanging around in the back room. I spotted Netta standing at
the counter by their clipboard, writing down all of the guests' credit card numbers for later use.
The Next Day:
After getting about three hours of sleep, I awoke at 9am to the sound of six federal agents busting down our door,
running in, grabbing all the food out of our mini-fridge and running out the door and down the hall. Bastards. We got up
and went down to the conference room where everyone was setting up. After Crimson Death complained that the lighting
was bad, Holistic went out and stole a bulldozer from the new Wal-Mart's construction site to rip out the south wall. One
of the hotel's security guards was tied up and gagged, squirming around in a corner of the room.
I was almost run over by Erik Bloodaxe, riding a big three-wheeler bicycle through the conference room, yelling out
every two seconds, "I still got these great t-shirts, guys! The original 'MOD-LOD War' shirts, right here! Only fifteen
dollarz! Get 'em now while they last!" He rolled over the security guard and continued down the hall.
After awhile, the first speaker was getting prepared. Gail Thackery approached the podium and began her speech. I
still haven't heard from anyone what it was about because as soon as she started talking, everyone left the room, feds
included and Zak, who was videotaping the con, turned off the camera as he left. Anyone who knows what the hell she
talked about, please e-mail me.
Upstairs in one of the rooms, about twenty computers had been networked together and members of FlaK were using
all the terminals to draw and share ansi warez with each other. This didn't seem too interesting so we wandered around
the hotel for awhile with cans of spray paint. El_jefe was wearing his "Hotel Phone Collection Service" t-shirt so we went
around to all the rooms and collected their telephones to take home and give to family members as souvineers.
Later in the evening, tr1be spoke about a new hack designed to put ten channel cordless phones into test mode and
rambled on about all the commands. A lot of interesting ideas were talked about but I couldn't hear most of it because
erikb wouldn't shut up about his damned t-shirts for sale.
That night, most of the real fun began. It's hard to say exactly what happened if you weren't there to witness it all so
here's sort of a rundown of everything reported (to my knowledge):
Phone service for most of the city was knocked out, either by people running over telco cans or the series of
explosions at the Bell building. Nobody was really sure about that.
Hotel's roof collapsed, destroying most of the top floor and causing six casualties. Could have been from the mosh
pit and Acidflux's band's equipment.
Most of the storefront windows in downtown area broken, lots of items missing. Three stores were set on fire by
Mr. Hack's phreeeeeeker gang.
Ford Escort sitting in supermarket parking lot was sawed in half. Who did this?? I want to shake your hand!
Power outtage from North side of broadway to the rest of the town. Cause unknown.
FBI van at hotel parking lot completely covered in cDc stickers. Rumor has it that Gail was responsible after
getting shitfaced in the hotel bar.
17 deaths
No pay phones were found to be in working condition the next morning.
Day Three:
Nothing could compare to the night before, but the last day of BustCon wasn't too bad. Once again, there was a
contest for the most creative design of a red box which Dave_SOB won for the second year in a row with his refrigerator
red box, allowing anyone to make free calls discreetly from pay phones with only a refrigeraor in tow. Major (CoTNo)
came in second place with his bed sheet design.
The BustCon raffle won me complete back issues of the Women's Day zine and the keys to one of the FBIs undercover
vehicles out in the parking lot and El_Jefe scored the complete set of Phiber Optik trading cards. We returned home in
one piece and the whole thing was a spiritial mecca for El_Jefe, causing him to finally clean up that shithole he calls a
room.
Quotes Worth Mentioning:
"Horseplay will not be tollerated..." -Hotel manager
"Anyone want to buy some credit cards with full info?" -Netta
"Any you cuties over the age of 14? I'm feelin' nasty tonight!" -Gail T
"Last call for my LOD-MOD t-shirts! They're almost gone! I swear!" -uh, guess
"Let's get outta here!" -Special Agent Bill Riley
"Go away PLA" -Hotel Security Guard
Trashing at OCI:
1-800-288-2880!
A good friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous and lives in OCI territory risked his life and reputation a few
weeks ago and did a trashing run at Oncor Communications' headquarters. His findings were startling, yet not very
surprising. Here are a few excerpts from various memos and other secret OCI papers found in their dumpster.
-APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT-
Name:______________________________
Address:_______________________________
City/State/Zip:_____________Phone_________
Circle highest year of grade school completed: 1 2 3 4 5 6
-PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT-
Check all previous places of employment that apply to you:
[ ] Burger King
[ ] McDonald's
[ ] Taco Bell
[ ] 7-Eleven
[ ] Circle K
[ ] RoyCo
[ ] Kentucky Fried Chicken
[ ] Burgerville
[ ] Burger World
-QUESTIONAIRE-
1. I want to be an OCI operator because:
A. I feel this job is a great opportunity and that there is room for advancement and a long-lasting career.
B. My past experience in the fast food industry qualifies me to be the best operator I can be.
C. $4.95 an hour sure beats the $4.75 an hour I made at McDonalds.
D. My mama says I got to get a job or she gonna throw me in the street.
2. A customer asks you to make a call and bill it to his home. While getting third-party acceptance, the third party says that
this must be some sort of fraudulent call. What do you do?
A. Immediately transfer the phone call to my supervisor.
B. Tell the customer that I have caller I.D. and the police are on the way.
C. Apologize to the customer but charge the call to them anyways.
D. Say, "Yo mama" and disconnect the call.
3. You receive a phone call in which the customer states he has planted a bomb in the employee break room and it will go
off in one hour. Do you:
A. Ask the customer how he'd like to bill his collect call.
B. Go to the employee break room to dismantle the bomb yourself.
C. Tell the customer that his mama so stupid, she didn't go to school.
D. Yell, "Yo mama" and disconnect the call.
4. If you recieve a harassing phone call you should:
A. Transfer the call to the supervisor.
B. Do whatever the caller asks you to, even if it involves taking your shirt off and flapping your boobs around or doing
a kickflip.
C. Try to argue and outsmart the caller.
D. Blurt out the first "yo mama" joke that comes to mind and hang up.
5. The most important priority while working at OCI are:
A. The customer is always right.
B. The third-party who's being harassed is just as guilty as the guy who's harassing him/her.
C. Picking your nose and eating your boogers while the supervisor isn't looking.
D. If a customer gives you any shit, say, "Yo mama" and hang up.
I swear on my mama's name that this application is true and correct and right to the best of my knowledge. I
uderstand that if OCI figures out that I been lyin' I will be terminated and my mama contacted.
Signature:_____________Date:______
**********************************************
INTEROFFICE MEMO:
TO: All operators
Recently our offices have been plauged with harassing phone calls by a group known as the Defcon Hackers. If you
are contacted by one of these people, stay calm. Tell them that you know that they're Defcon hackers. This will let them
know that we know who they are and eventually they will get spooked enough to stop calling. If the calls persist, explain to
them that you have caller I.D. on your phone and that the police are on their way. If they ask you to prove you have caller
I.D. just explain that you don't have to give it to them cause you know what it is. If all else fails, reply with the standard,
"Yo mama!" remark and hang up.
****************************************************************************
INTEROFFICE MEMO:
TO: All employees
System upgrades are scheduled for the next few weeks so you may experience bad connections or be cut off from your
party. Please be patient and if an irate customer asks what happened, tell them it must be THEIR phone. You will begin to
notice alot of improvements in the near future. Our best enhancement will be the ANI feature which allows you to identify
who's calling from anywhere inside the building. Plans for out-of-building ANI are still in the making and expected to be
installed by the 21st century.
One of the more noticeable features will be the pre-recorded announcement buttons on your switchboard. This
feature will let you skip the task of wishing customers a nice day by letting a recording do the work for you. Also
programmed into the system will be the phrases, "OCI, how may I help you?", "Operator leaving line", "Thank you for
using OCI", and of course, "Yo, mama." Keep an eye out for this new conveinence! Classes on how to push these new
buttons will begin on Monday, February 3rd.
Phone Losers of America Headline News:
[I finally got around to reading Brian's follow-up article on the PLA. The BND was nice enough to mail me the article
along with a bill for five dollars. I still haven't decided whether to send them Monopoly money or just send the bill to Greg
Carson. In any case, here it is.]
Hackers Group Founder Disclaims Responsibility - by Brian D. Crecente
From the Belleville News-Democrat, Sunday, September 10, 1995
The founder of the Phone Losers of America -a group of computer hackers who harass their victims by phone- says he
doesn't feel responsible for the group's actions.
"If someone ticks one of us off, we put them on the list, but we aren't responsible for anything that happens," said the
hacker, who goes by the nickname RedBoxChiliPepper.
"I think that what we are doing is wrong, but I'm not really a morally structured person," he said in an interview. "I'm
not a bad person either, though."
The young man admitted his interest in computers and phone lines has "sort of become an obsession."
The Belleville News-Democrat reported last Sunday that PLA has been linked to the harrassment of at least seven
metro-east families.
The victim's names are listed in a computer text file that is distributed by the group on local computer bulletin
boards. Many of the victims believe they are on the list because at one time they may have angered one of two members of
the group who have local ties.
RedBoxChiliPepper said he makes the final decision on whose name goes onto the harassment list. Victims' names
are submitted to him by e-mail from computer users around the world.
He said that last month he went on a "spree" and drastically increased the number of distribution sites for the group's
text files.
"We now have well over 70 established sites all over the world," he said, "including some in Belgium, London and six
in Canada."
Two local sources say that RedBoxChiliPepper is a 22-year-old former Madison County man who now lives in Texas.
The other local member is a Granite City teen who goes by the nickname Zak.
On April 2, 1993, while living in East Alton, RedBoxChiliPepper was charged with felony theft over $300 for stealing
from a Wood River 7-Eleven store where he worked. On May 7, 1993, after moving to Highland, he was charged with
disorderly conduct for calling in a false fire alarm to the Highland Fire Department.
He was placed on two years probation for both offenses, but in November 1993 the probation was revoked because of
his failure to cooperate with a probation officer, according to court records. A warrant was issued for his arrest, which still
is outstanding.
[I was tired of Illinois so I packed a bag and moved to Indianapolis without telling anyone, including those probation
people. This was in August 1993 so apparently it took them three months to realize I was missing. They're fast.]
In a text file called "Ruining The Life of A 7-Eleven Employee And Enjoying It," RedBoxChiliPepper describes ways to
harass and steal from a 7-Eleven from both the customer's and employee's point of view. In one paragraph,
RedBoxChiliPepper appears to make reference to his own arrest for felony theft.
"When you're caught stealing, you'll be fired, that's all," he wrote. "I've never seen a store try to take legal action
because of employee theft, even if they have it all on video tape. (Well, except for that time I looted the Wood River, Ill., 7Eleven of about $4,000 in cash one night, but I won't get into that.)"
Zak's compuer bulletin board, called Roy's Place, is the local distribution site and self-proclaimed "Illinois World
Headquarters"for the Phone Losers of America and can be reached by dialing a number Ameritech lists under a Granite
City teen's name and address. Attempts to reach Zak were unsuccessful. Law enforcement officials said they are
investigating the activities of RedBoxChiliPepper and the PLA.
[Why, WHY did I do this interview?? I explained again to him that I'm not a hacker and PLA is not a hacker group but
he wrote it again anyway. He said that he had to use that term because it was more understood by the public. I explained
that this made the story completely misleading and wrong but he just didn't seem to care. The interview was actually alot
longer but Brian chopped up the conversation and made up a few things. Other than all of his lies, the interview was
completely accurate.]
"West Linn senior alters her grades, SAT scores"
From the Albany Democrat Herald, Tuesday, April 2, 1996
A high school senior with almost no computer skills is accused of changing her grades and college admission test
scores by using a school office computer.
An admissions officer at a California university noticed a discrepancy in the 17-year-old girl's records and called West
Linn High School. The student had grades ranging from As to Ds, Principal Clark Irwin said.
"She's not even interested in computers," Irwin said. "I doubt she has one at home. She discovered this on her own."
Irwin said the girl was able to change the grades on her Scholastic Assessment Test, or SAT, which is widely used by
colleges and universities to evaluate applicants.
A spokesman for the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ, which administers the SAT program, said he never
heard of a similar case in the United States.
Irwin said the girl worked at the main school office. Staff found her trustworthy enough to let her use the school
computer. Within a week's period in February, she broke into her transcripts twice - once to change her grades from a C
average to a B average, a second time to beef up her math and verbal SAT scores by 400 points each to put her near the top
rank.
But the student didn't realize the Educational Testing Service also sent a copy of her SAT scores to each college. An
admissions officer at the University of Southern California noticed the discrepancy. When Irwin confronted the girl in
early March, she admitted what she did.
Classifieds, Email and More News:
11/23/95 from Excalibur (616) Hey, i Just wanted to let you know about how these two bastards in school feel
about "Cactus" This is a letter that i found jammed into my locker... "KILL THE CACTUS Hey, Mud R. Fuk R. If you
don't stop worshipping plants & allways saying cactus I'm gonna hafta kick some cactus ass & YOU ARE GONNA (don't
make fun of my handwriting,bastard) DIE. So you better watch your back you tub of shit. KAKTUS KILLERS
ANONYMOUS" The whole thing i copied right off of the paper. Oh yeah, their fone number is (616)675-5453. : haven't
heard from him since.]
Here's some mail I got the other day from some weirdo. rEDBOXCHILIEPEPR: i WUD LIKE TU TEL U THAT YER
SITE IZ VERY GUD AND "iNFORMATIV." i HAV A FEW KOMENTZ: aLMOWST ALL THE LINKZ ARE THOWZ
WEERD PIKTUREZ THAT U GET WHEN THE url FUR A PICTURE ISNT RITE??!! aLSO, 1 MORE: i HERD THAT
REDBOXING DOESNT WERK ON ss7??!! iZ THAT TRU??!! mALE MEI BAK. -White Lightning- sTAI ON THE PATH
[Wow, eleeeeeet speak combined with total illiteracy. I replied that he needed to learn how to type and haven't heard
from him since.]
Submitted by The Green Jesus: Well, new news on the cordless fone front. The idiot across the street orders pizza
from Pizza Hut last night, with the usual Pepperoni and cheese, I called Pizza Hut right after him and added double
anchovies, 4 2-liters of Pepsi and 2 deep dish pizzas, since I had his fone number and called less than 1 minute after he
did they didnt even suspect what was going on. Well when the pizza got there, He calls Pizza Hut back and explains the
situation, they tell him theirs. They're both baffled, He sends the pizzas back and they re-deliver the ones he wanted for
free. (Damn, that gives me an idea for a free pizza doc!) Well anyway, I had fun and the bastard gets a free pizza.
6.5536: Looks like Radio Shack employees in Corpus Christi have taken to lying to their customers. Lithium (512)
was refused the sale of a 6.5536 MHz crystal, the reason being he didn't have an FCC license to buy one. This Radio
Smack can be reached at (512) 854-9911.
Albany's Police Reports LOTTERY SCAM: Oregon State Police are investigating reports that someone claiming to
be associated with the Oregon Lotto is making collect calls to people to tell them about prizes they may have won. The
calls are handled by an operator who claims to represent the Lottery Distribution Center. The lottery does not use
telephone marketing to sell it's game products and does not contact anyone by collect phone calls. Lottery officials
believe the bogus callers are trying to get personal credit card account information, which could be used to make
unauthorized purchases. (Feb 29, 1996)
Yet, Even More Ramblings by Apok0lyps:
Well, since I wrote last, lots of shit has went on. First, El_jefe, quinbus and I went into business. We had this
computer shop called RoyCo and it sucked. Needless to say, we went out of business. But that ain't shit. What is really cool
is the trip to New York we took. It was El, me and Scorpion (no, not the warez guy, the 618 one) and we all flew up to go
visit some #rock gurlies. It was pretty cool & was the first PLA/f0f0 joint trip. What is f0f0? I'll get to that in a second.
Anyway, we went there and met a bunch of kidz who go to school at the school they shot that fucking "Hackers" movie
in. It was kinda funny as I watched the kids show up with Jolt and roller blades. You kinda have to wonder which came
first. Anyway, it was those guys from #stuy95 (so named after the school, Stuyveseant or someshit) ya know, Loc, entropy,
dokie, and the girls ladydeath, jammie, and zengrrl. They were all kinda cute, but way too young for me. [Come on Apok,
you can't let that stop you. -ed]
At first we hated loc and them on irc, but when we met them, they weren't too bad. We all kinda hung out and shit.
blah blah...you get the idea. Anyway, jammie's dad was really nice driving us around and shit. We saw loads of stuff.
Next, I guess I could tell ya about spiff.net. Yes, we *did* have our own little ISP. We lost it when we lost control of
RoyCo. Now some guy who has never touched linux before in his life has it. I think he is getting paid the same we were,
NOTHING!!! He's doin ok though. At least it will be easy to own it. :)
OK, now I can tell ya about f0f0. f0f0 is this new "group" in 618. Sc0rpion is the head of it and I think [z3ns] and
eightball are in it as well. They like to harass on irc, so if your bored, come to #rock and say you don't phear da f0f0. That's
enough, I'm bored. Oh yeah, the technical portion of this article:
Greets go out to: jammie's dad, ladydeath, n0rik0 (god your cute!!) quinbus, loc and crew, giggler, dhate (where the
fuck you hiding?), and all the rest. Hey n0rik0, you really are cute!
Logs of dhate:
So, dhate thinks he can just release a PLA issue without my knowledge and get away with it? Just for that, I'm gonna
publish the capture of my first encounter with him on IRC. That'll show 'im. By the way, are you still alive, dhate? You said
you were on your way to Illinois for NonCon and nobody has heard from you since. It's been like two months now.
*** RBCP (operator@metrix.metrobbs.com) has joined channel #hack
*** Topic for #hack: <BandAid> potty mouth
*** #hack dec3169 807586343
*** Users on #hack: RBCP [Dean] Public oper Mother @lb2 @hosaka bandaid
+bitwrior @cavalier Adder_ @Mark @mistawho @loq @Voyager p @nnn ww_ww_x
+@`LuRCH bunker @dec3169 @ReDragon @elastic @dhate @Gentry @mdestiny viva @z
<dhate> RBCP??
> No, RBCP.
<dhate> hrmm
*** You have been kicked off channel #hack by dhate (i no believe you)
*rbcp* Who are you?? And why'd you kick me?? I'm RedBoxChiliPepper.
*dhate* hrm.. name who is in pla then
*rbcp* NOBODY is in the PLA. It's a mag that I write. It's not a club.
*rbcp* What is YOUR deal with PLA? Try looking at an issue and you'll see the e-mail address I'm using listed at the
end.
*** RBCP (operator@metrix.metrobbs.com) has joined channel #hack
*** Topic for #hack: <BandAid> potty mouth
*** #hack dec3169 807586343
*** Users on #hack: RBCP deity ladyada Lazl0 @lb2 @hosaka bandaid bitwrior
+@cavalier @Mark @mistawho @loq @Voyager p @nnn ww_ww_x @`LuRCH bunker
+@dec3169 @ReDragon @elastic @dhate @Gentry @mdestiny viva @z @][ceman
*dhate* I READ PLA VIVIDLY
*dhate* AND EL_JEFE SAYS THERE ARE LOOSERS IMPERSONATING RBCP
*rbcp* Good, I'm glad to hear that. Oh. wait...
*rbcp* No, I'm really me. I'm just here becuase it's Friday and I have no life. See? Only RBCP has no life.
*dhate* YOU LIE
*dhate* YOU SHOULD BE AT DEFCON
*rbcp* I'm too POOR to go to Defcon. I'm sitting in my damned apartment in Corpus Cristi.
*dhate* yer lying
*rbcp* Ask me any question.
*dhate* yer not rbcp
*rbcp* (This is getting fun...) Prove I'm not. You're going to feel silly when you talk to el_jefe next.
*dhate* no i never feel silly cept when i look at my mommy nekid
*rbcp* You're really not going to let me on #hack? How do you know Zak?
*dhate* yes i know zak and i know apok0lyps
*rbcp* I know zak better than you.
*dhate* yer a fake
*dhate* get on yer other account then i believe
*rbcp* What other account?
*dhate* otherwise yer a fake
*dhate* basenet.com
*rbcp* I've never owned an account on that place. Zak & B0B have account there. I live a little out of the way from
Basenet.
*** dhate is away: bathroom
*** RBCP (operator@metrix.metrobbs.com) has joined channel #hack
*** Topic for #hack: the defcon factor
*** #hack dhate 807588400
*** Users on #hack: RBCP @bludz Mother @hosaka @SnoCrash @h0trod ladyada @lb2
+bandaid bitwrior @cavalier @Mark @loq @Voyager p @nnn ww_ww_x @`LuRCH bunker
+@dec3169 @ReDragon @elastic @dhate @Gentry @mdestiny viva @z @][ceman
*** dhate is ~jereme@delta1.deltanet.com (Jereme Dean)
*** on channels: @#hack
*** on irc via server cs-pub.bu.edu ([128.197.13.20] Boston University CS
+Dept)
*** dhate is away: (Gone for 4m45s) bathroom
* dhate has returned *muh fro is back*
*rbcp* You calmed down yet?
*dhate* i still don't believe you
*rbcp* You'll feel silly tomorrow. What do you go by on Defcon VB?
*dhate* i go as dhate
*dhate* but i don't call that much
*dhate* like once a month cuz no one is ever on
*rbcp* You're like fruity or something. You're probably Deter's little brother.
*dhate* TOUCH MY MONKEY
*dhate* TOUCH IT
*rbcp* Are you some sort o pervert?
*dhate* nope
*rbcp* What's theh first letter on Zak's dad's name?
*dhate* roy
*dhate* i dunno he ain't my bed buddy
*rbcp* What are you trying to pull. That's THREE letters! I'm no dummy...
*rbcp* The PLA's number one harrassment target is Zak's dad, Weird Harold. YOU didn't know that, tho.
*dhate* i know bout wierd harold
*rbcp* no you don't. ever talked to him?
*dhate* yes i have talked to zak
*rbcp* Weird Harold, Twit. What about Deter, Greg Carson or Chris TOmkinson.
*dhate* i'm not the one claiming to be rbcp so none of that applies to me suqr
*rbcp* Go home before I write about you in pla034. Weird-o.
*dhate* zak said some lame ass's were impersonating rbcp
*dhate* hahah good write bout me
*dhate* what was the latest gif put out by pla?
*dhate* answer that one and i believe you
*rbcp* 07, Naked Amy & 06, Calimar
*dhate* werd, now i believe you
*rbcp* Good, now fuck off.
*dhate* hahaha i love you too
*dhate* any ways monk was pretending to be you so you should be happy i'm protecting your name or some lame
bullshit like that
*rbcp* You don't even know what PLAGIF08.GIF is. I haven't released it.
*dhate* i got unrealeased pla gifs
*rbcp* And you're asking ME to prove it?
*dhate* like i said i dig pla
*rbcp* Ha, fooled you, I'm not REALLY RBCP. Want me to prove it?
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
FTP.INTERCONNECT.NET - pub/personal/pla
bueno@peak.org - RedBoxChiliPepper
cactus@i1.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@i1.net - Apok0lyps
http://peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Whombat Communications
http://www.basenet.net/~apok0lyp/index.html - PLA, Manson, Anime
http://www.compumedia.com/~jnoonan/pla - Original PLA Web Page
Nekid Amy: Colleen says no, you may not slob on my knob and to keep your lineman's handset to yourself. We know
where you've been. We've seen pictures.
Issue #039
Volume Two, Issue Thirty-Nine, File 1 of 14
Issue 39 Index
___________________
PLA 39
July 27, 1996
___________________
~ Happy Anniversary Bill Cook & Tim Foley, we love you both! ~
Here it is. Amidst all the fanfare and hoopla, PLA039 leaps from your electronic mail box to infect your very soul. It
was just a few short years ago that I made my very first t-shirt in the happy little town of Austin, Texas. This issue marks
the three year anniversary my t-shirt and a hearty hello goes out to Bellcore, The United States Secret Service, the US
District Attorney's Office and Hefty Ed's Screen Printing Service on 4th street in downtown.
As many of you have read previously, or otherwise heard through the electronic grapevines, RedBoxChiliPepper is no
longer editor of Phone Losers of America. Your new editor, as I was most recently referred to so lovingly by my long-time
friend John Lee on the alt.binaries.erotica.tshirts.for.sale.buy.them.now Usenet group: "the long hair and heavy metal
beer drinking Texan that Bruce Sterling finds so .. ahem.. 'attractive in that MOD-LOD t-shirt'." In case you don't get the
joke, my name is Erikb, and I'm a t-shirt salesman.
There are a few very distinct differences beginning with this issue of PLA. First and foremost, PLA is not registered
with the Library of Congress, and doesn't have its own ISSN. No, boys and girls, you can't go to Washington, D.C. and
look it up. This adds a new era of illegitimacy to PLA in that with such a registration, PLA should never again face any
legal challenge that would bypass any paper based magazine. PLA will also now be a yearly publication since I'm so busy
making t-shirts all the time.
Now, PLA's first order of business: I still have several hundred of these amazing looking LOD-MOD t-shirts for sale!
They're a must for any real hacker and have a picture of that big war thing I was in and everybody knows that I won. I
mean, it's obvious and my t-shirt proves it. I'm a winner dammit. Okay?
Editor-In-Chief : Erik Bloodaxe (aka Chris Ggggggggggggggggnz)
Brought To You By : The Letter "G"
News : Channel 3
Photography : That guy across the street in the black van with a telephoto lens pointing at my window
Publicity : The local newspaper's Police Log
Prison Consultant : Shelly Jaffe's Son & Bonnie Vitello's Husband
Creative Stimulus : Milk & Cheese Cookies
Librarian : Maryanne (uhhh.. huh huh huh huh)
Thanks To : James Heggie, OCI, grandma, FLaK, Cultura O Digital, Prohibited Data Processing, Johnny Kong (Phone
Losers of Asia), Techmitch
No Thanks To : Fred Meyer (who didn't even care)
"You have a collect dave from dave, will you dave for the dave?" -[z3ns]
The PLA web page still exists and is still as lame as ever so why the hell haven't you visited yet? Rather than looking at
this boring white on black ascii, you COULD be looking at black on white html!! So what are you waiting for?
http://www.peak.org/~bueno/pla.html
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
Shrink Wrap Machines
How To Rip Off Send-A-Song
Wrong Numbers
Phone Operators Stupider Than OCI?
Red Boxing Bust?
PLA Headline News
Random Stuff You Don't Care About
Released on July 27, 1996
Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make anyone think that PLA had suffered some kind of sick corporate takeover but I
just couldn't resist. I bet I really fooled every single one of you, though. If you're still waiting for the latest PLA phone
directory that's just slightly under a year overdue now, wait no longer and pick up PLA96SUM at a store near you.
Bell Odysey - RedBoxChiliPepper
(to the tune of Space Odysey by David Bowie)
Bell Control to Lineman Bob.
Bell Control to Lineman Bob.
Check your toolbelt now and put your Bell hat on,
Bell Control to Lineman Bob.
Found my truck keys - engine on,
Get your work orders & please don't take too long.
This is Bell Control to Lineman Bob,
You've really screwed up good,
The technition wants to know the cable & pair,
Now it's time to leave your Bell truck if you dare.
This is Lineman Bob to Bell Control,
I'm climbing up a pole,
And there's spray paint on this box that says, "PLA."
And these wires look oddly different today.
For heeeeere am I standing on a phone pole,
Faaaaaar above the ground,
I just dropped my shoe,
But there's not much I can do.
Though I've fixed 100,000 lines,
I'm getting really bored,
And I think my conscience knows which way to go,
Who's this guy that's on my phone saying, "y0 y0 y0 y0 y0 y0?"
Bell Control To Lineman Bob,
Our switch is dead, there's something wrong,
Can you hear me Lineman Bob?
Can you hear me Lineman Bob?
Can you hear me Lineman Bob? (fade out)
Using A Shrink Wrap Machine To Get FREE Stuff - by Novastorm (512)
(A Follow Up to PLA #12)
Surely you have gone shopping and realized that prices today are just unbarable. Well, I intend to enlighten you on a
machine that most people aren't even aware of. In the following pages, I intend to show you how to aquire and correctly
use a shrink wrap machine. This is for informational purposes only. If you try any of these techniques, I take no
responsibility for your thoughtless and greedy actions. Anyways, on to the good stuff. >:)
One company that you can aquire ANY size shrink wrap machine you need is AJM. Their phone number is 1-800858-4131. Tell them that you are going to start a family business and need to wrap boxes. They will ask you for a specific
size, but tell them that you need the UB-40 model, which is rather large and can wrap almost anything you will need to
wrap. Of course, they will ask how you got their number, since they don't like to sell to the general public. Just tell them
that a friend of your's who works for Electronics Boutique gave you the number. They buy all of their shrink wrap
machines from them and will be happy to help you once you say that. If you have ever bought a video game from there,
and when you openned it, the manual was a wrinkled and dirty, now you know why. They rewrap returns and sell them as
new. Are the wheels starting to turn yet? Good. Anyways, AJM will ask for your business's name. Just give them any old
name, but make sure to tell them that you don't have a sign and all of your mail has been coming under your name, so
please ship it to me under my name so as not to confuse the mailman. Be sure to order the plastic wrap and heat gun
along with the machine.
Now that you have your handy dandy shrink wrap machine, it's time to learn how to use it. Just put the roll of plastic
onto the machine where the bar that goes across separates the two layers as you pull them apart. Once you have that done,
it only gets easier. Say like you just bought a video game and it cost you $89.99. Everyone knows that's a rip-off. At that
price, for every two games you buy, you could have a new system.
Now the tables can be turned. Just remove the game and the instructions and close the box. Pull out some plastic
wrap and place the box in the wrap between the two layers. Use the arm to crimp the plasic on all sides making sure there
is about 1.5" of extra plastic on each side. Now, just turn on the heat gun and blow hot air all over the box. Make sure to
keep the gun moving because you can burn a hole through the plastic if you do it incorrectly. Now that it's sealed, you can
march it back up to Wal-Mart and get your refund. They take anything back that's sealed, and if they ever DID open it,
you can say, "What the fuck kind of store is this?! I'm glad I didn't open that damn thing!"
Of course, video games aren't all you can get. Basicly anything that comes wrapped in plastic can be rewrapped, and
they have to take it back since it is a generally wide spread "fact" that the general public can not reseal items. Another ploy
that they have is to put little stickers called the "factory seal". Since they are just stickers, hold the heat gun over the
sticker to melt the glue, peel it back, then restick it when you are through.
To get past items sealed in celophane, just cut off the end of the celophane back and use the machine's crimp arm to
reseal it. Just press down, hold it, then slide it out slowly. It will reseal the bag in the same manner that the factory does!
For music CDs, just unwrap & remove to top of the case from the hinges so as not to remove the hologram sticker,
pull out the CD, and rewrap. As you can see, a shrink wrap machine can be very handy and the whole setup only costs
about $450, a small price to pay for the amount of use you can get out of it!
Now you can laugh at those people trying to pull the old, let's put a 2400 baud modem in this 28800 box. I don't
recommend calling the store to brag about what you did, but do whatever floats your boat. Have fun!
Send-A-Song, We Apologize
A lot of you might remember an article I wrote in PLA037 concerning a company called Send-A-Song. I was recently
indirectly contacted by a representative from the company about the article who said that what I wrote was encouraging
people to use stolen credit cards and they were "losing big money" because of me.
Now, go back and read the article. Do you see one single reference to using a stolen credit card to obtain their
services? Not even one? All I did was give them a little free advertising by doing a favorable review of their services, listing
all of their songs and alerting potential customers that if you try to block your ANI, you won't be able to use their system.
Aw, who am I trying to kid? It was wrong of me to write that article and I should be put away for a really long time. I
think I owe Send-A-Song a sincere apology and I need to acknowledge that Send-A-Song had every right to threaten me
with a lawsuit rather than just tighten up their security. So I want everyone to just disregard that article I wrote and not to
try any of the things I insinuated. And whatever you do, DON'T use any of your stolen credit cards on their system when
you dial their number at 1-800-272-7664 and don't be usin' that handy-dandy list of all their current songs I typed out in
PLA037.
In fact, just throw PLA037 away, it's bad. And when you don't use those stolen credit cards to order your stolen songs
when you're not dialing 1-800-272-7664 don't forget to not give your loved ones the Song Retrival Center's phone number
which is 1-800-915-3443. And if you've ever got any frustration to let out, DON'T let it out on the shmucks sitting at their
desks at the Send-A-Song Customer Service center at 1-800-999-7635. They don't deserve it. If you've forgotten how to
obtain the stolen credit cards, just forget it because using stolen credit cards is WRONG.
So don't read my old file on getting credit cards that's detailed in PLA024. And even if you did, I trust all my loyal
readers never to use a stolen credit card on Send-A-Song. They've got far too many other things to worry about to bother
with upgrading their system into something just a little more secure, not that I'd know anything about that.
Seriously, though, why is credit card fraud so easy? I can't understand why multi-million dollar companies like
Mastercard & Visa can't work out a simple secure system for their customers. Remember a couple years ago when AT&T
just started accepting credit cards to make long distance telephone calls? They hadn't finished their automated system yet
so every single time you had to go through a live operator who would ask you for your credit card number, exp. date and a
batch code. Asking for a batch code was difficult enough to probably throw off half of the would-be fraudsters into
thinking it wouldn't work.
But now they're completely automated and anybody can do it. What's even worse is that you can op-divert and trick
AT&T's system into thinking you're calling from any place you want. Anyone could steal your credit card, make thousands
in phone calls and make them all to appear to come from the White House. Or even worse, make them come from your
own house, meaning you'd most likely have to pay for the calls.
Now we're dealing with THREE multi-kazillion dollar companies who can't fix a few flaws and make your credit cards
more secure. Ever dealt with the roaming operators on a cellular phone? Used to it was simple, automated and asked only
for your credit card number and expiration date. Today it's still the same but they've added one little extra security feature
- you have to enter the zip code where your credit card statement arrives. Screw up just one little number on the zip code
and your call doesn't go through.
Now if a crappy little company like the American Cellular Roaming Network can do this, then why can't AT&T? It
made c-master completely useless for my cellular calls and considering all the time it took to get a number with a
matching zip code, I just lost interest in using my cell phone like that and stuck to normal phones. (Like I'm going to
WORK for my free calls)
Some of you might have heard about my most recent bust. I was op-diverting to a U.S.West voice mail, getting a
Seattle operator, using her to op-dirvert to 1-800-CALL-ATT and using my stolen credit cards to make phone calls. The
detective working my case said he was totally stumped and never would have caught me if I hadn't called a certain
number. (I called an out of state business, the detective called and asked who they were doing business with in Albany,
Oregon, the business told him everything.)
So they came over, confiscated all my computer and phone stuff and kept it all for about a month. Even though he
estimated my fraud at around $10,000 that he knew about, my charges were reduced to a misdemeaner and I was fined
$250 and put on two years of unsupervised probation. Let's see...$250 to make about $10,000 in phone calls. Boy, they
showed me.
All of this leads me to one conclusion - the feds and police shouldn't have any control over credit card and phone
fraud. It's like if K-Mart decided to display all of their electronic equipment out in the parking lot and just left it out
overnight. They would lose thousands of dollars every night and when they went to the police to complain, the police
would call them idiots and tell them to keep their stuff inside. The police aren't going to patrol the parking lot to keep
people from stealing, why should they have to patrol the phone system and waste time investigating fraud?
All Send-A-Song needs to do to cut their fraud in half is to add that extra step with the zip code. It's all automated,
wouldn't cost them any extra man-power, is no inconveinence to legitimate customers and I'm betting it would make itself
worth the trouble in about a day. And the same goes for AT&T because I know I'm not the only person in the world who's
used extrapolated credit cards to make phone calls.
Hey, hold on a second, wasn't this supposed to be an article to rag on Send-A-Song for attempted censorship of my
article? Shit, I'm sorry, it's late. Besides, Apok0lyps forgot to do a rambling article this issue so somebody had to. Anyway,
Send-A-Song asked me to remove every reference of their name and number from every issue of PLA, including the
quarterly phone directory, the PLA037 article, the PLA037 table of contents AND the index of PLA issues. So I want
everyone to please forget this name and number: Send-A-Song 1-800-272-7664. I never wrote the article. Forget you saw
it. It doesn't exist.
Wrong Numbers
Since moving to Albany, Oregon, me & Colleen Card have been plauged with wrong numbers. Most of the people
thought they were calling Les Shwabb Tire Company so I figured I'd change our phone number and that'd be the end of it.
Wrong. The same day the number was changed we got a few more wrong numbers.
After running a BBS on that line for awhile we got bored with it and shut it off. Tired of the people calling for a data
line, we changed our number yet again and STILL got people dialing the wrong number. I finally arrived at the conclusion
that all Albany citizens are retarded and don't know how to operate anything more advanced than a CB Radio, monster
truck or a gigantic belt buckle. We still get about one wrong number every couple of days. Below are some transcripts of
some of the people calling our house.
RBCP: Bueno?
THEM: Is this Les Shwabb?
RBCP: Yeah, of course.
THEM: I need to find out what your price range is on a set of new tires for a '78 Chevy pickup.
RBCP: Lemme check here...I can set you up with four new tires for $1250.00 plus tax, installation charges, labor,
delivery, shipping, handling and we'll wash your winshield for free. It'll come to slightly less than $2000.
THEM: Uh, thanks. (click)
RBCP: Hello?
LADY: Is this Les Shwabb?
RBCP: Well, that's about a stupid question, of course it is. What do you need?
LADY: If you're gonna talk to me like that I don't really care to do business with you.
RBCP: Like I fuckin' care, bitch.
LADY: (click)
RBCP: (click...*69...ring...ring...ring...)
LADY: Hello?
RBCP: (yelling) Hey, we don't need you calling our place of business, wasting our fucking time and then hanging up
on us! If you got some fucking problem, why don't you come over here and talk to me about it.
LADY: Who is this??
RBCP: You know goddamned well who this is. Don't ever call here again! (click)
[That'll teach Les to have a number close to ours. On other Les Shwabb calls I majorly underquoted prices, like 50
cents for engine parts, etc.]
RBCP: Bueno?
THEM: (old man) Is my truck ready yet? (how rude)
RBCP: Uhh...which truck is that, sir?
THEM: It's the red Ford [whatever].
RBCP: Ah. Uhhh....well there was a little problem with that, sir. See, I just started working here recently and I wasn't
aware of the "no smoking under the hood while you're working on a truck" policy and well, to make a long story short,
your engine is on fire.
THEM: What do you mean my engine is on fire??
RBCP: I mean I was working on it and I dropped my Marlboro and it's on fire.
THEM: What part of it caught on fire?
RBCP: Well, right now about half of it's burning and it looks like it's penetrated through the dashboard and it's
starting to burn your inerior.
THEM: You mean it's on fire RIGHT NOW?? (really pissed now)
RBCP: Yeah, I'm still looking for the fire extinguisher.
THEM: You'd better be pulling my fucking leg.
RBCP: No sir, I'm serious. I really should get off the phone and take care of this.
THEM: You better be fucking kidding me.
RBCP: Sir, I need to go because if the fire spreads and catches our building
RBCP: Hello?
THEM: Hi! This is [blah blah] with [blah] Window Repair Incorporated. We're having a special this week on car
window repair and wanted to know if maybe you have any cracks or breaks in your car windows.
RBCP: What company did you say this is?
THEM: [whatever] Window Repair Incorporated.
RBCP: Well, last night some kids came in our driveway with rocks and put big cracks in every one of the windows on
all our cars. Gee, it's rather conveinent that you're calling me the day after and offering to fix them, isn't it?
THEM: (laughs)
RBCP: Yeah, really funny. I'm calling the police and having you all thrown in jail! (click)
Personally that was one of my favorites. I was just pissed because it was 9:00 in the morning and he'd woke me up.
Recently SOMEbody had managed to add an extension phone to a pay phone so we (er, I mean SOMEbody) could make
free calls and/or listen in on other's conversations. Here's a few transcripts of some of the funnier things that somebody
did:
KID: (inserts quarter, dials number...ring...ring...)
MOM: Hello?
KID: Mom? Could you come and pick me up now?
MOM: Okay, give me a few minutes.
KID: Alright. Bye.
RBCP: (imitating kid) Ya fucking bitch.
MOM: Excuse me Daniel? (by this time "Daniel" has hung up)
RBCP: Whatever, bitch. (click)
[poor kid probably got grounded for a few years]
LADY: (inserts quarter, dials number...ring...ring...reaches another lady and talks for awhile...)
RBCP: (deep voice) Please deposit 25 cents.
LADY: I already put in 25 cents!
RBCP: (deep voice) Please deposit 25 cents.
LADY: (pissed off sigh) Hold on...(drops in another quarter)
RBCP: (deep voice) Thank you!
LADY: (continues to talk to her friend for a few more minutes)
RBCP: (deep voice) Please deposit 82 cents.
LADY: Debra, this phone is messed up, I'll have to call you back later.
RBCP: (deep voice) Please deposit your life savings and leave the phone.
LADY: What?
RBCP: (deep voice) Please give me all your credit card numbers.
LADY: Is this a joke??
RBCP: (deep voice) No. Please take off your shirt and shake your boobs around.
LADY: (slams down phone and leaves)
RBCP: (laughes his head off for three hours straight)
RBCP: (picks up phone in hears a lady in the middle of a conversation) (deep voice) Please deposit $3.00 for the next
one minute.
LADY: (ignores me and keeps talking)
RBCP: (deep voice) I SAID deposit $3.00 for the next one minute. Are you deaf?
LADY: Gina, I think that's one of my neighbors again, we've had this problem before. I'm gonna hang up and call the
police. (hangs up)
[Heh, the other lady thought it was someone at her house. Hope I didn't get anyone arrested.]
Phone Operators Stupider Than OCI? – Pennywise
If you want an example of how stupid operator's are, here's something that happened to me recently. After school, I
was bored and trying to call every state to shout "You stole my house/cactus/milk dud" at someone. So, I called up the
operator and asked for the area code for Pennsylvania. The friendly lady told me, "What state please?". I repeated myself,
thinking she might be a little hard of hearing.
"Pennsylvania."
"Sir, I need the state." She said testily like what the hell was I doing wasting her time asking for a city in God-knowswhere.
"Umn, Pennsylvania please." I was confused here.
"Sir, that's not a state." Once again, she sounded so sure of herself I was starting to doubt we had fifty of the damn
things and not forty-nine.
"Yes, actually it is," I tried for the last time, "It's somewhere out east."
"I'm sorry, you don't know what you're talking about... click."
Wow. Now if that doesn't say something about our phone companies. I personally think maybe the government
should stop ragging on Kathy Lee and go after PacBell as the child laborers. Finally, I dialled "00" to get the AT&T
operator. When it gives you that stupid little "Say 'operator' for assistance," thing, I said, "Sloperator" and got an operator.
"The area code for Pennsylvania please."
"What city?" (she at least knew it was a state).
"Pitsburgh".
"The area code is XXX" (now I forget what it is, dammit).
"Umn, thanks, could you give me the number of a Zimmer in Pittsburgh?"
"There is none. How about a Zimmerman?"
"Yea, that'll do"
"The number you selected is XXX-XXX-YYYY" I hate that computer voice.
The operator came back on and I asked her to complete the call for me. Then she asked how I would pay and I said
coins. Then I started putting in red box tones.
"Umn, sir, that doesn't sound like normal."
Damn, I'm thinking... she's on to me. "Well, I'm using a red box" I decided to confess.
"Is that a Private Telco?" MY GOD!!! How stupid are these people??
"Yes it is. Can you connect me now?"
"Sure. Sorry about the trouble."
Red Boxing Bust – RedBoxChiliPepper
Red boxing, although kind of a pain for lengthy calls, has always been considered by most people to be a fairly safe
form of phreaking. Until recently I've never heard of anyone being busted by making a red box call, but a few weeks ago I
got some e-mail from Mock, a Canadian phreak who detailed the following story:
------------
I was making a call to a friend of mine, I had never redboxed to him before, and I had never redboxed to a number in
his prefix either. So when the operator comes on, I decide to experiment and see if I can get her to go away and let me talk
in peace for a while. I convince her to let me put 20 mins worth of quarters in the payfone. She has to "empty" the
hopper, because the hopper only holds $4 worth of quarters, and everything seems just peachy.
I'm at a university, so when a security guy comes walking up I know I'm probably in shit, but usually they're pretty
dumb and can be talked out of making a big deal about anything. I pretend to be Joe Schmoe innocent type, I give him my
name and student card, and claim that some other guy was here just a few minutes ago using the fone. I hang up and take
off.
As I head for home (I live on campus) a security van pulls up, the security guards ask me to get in the van. We go to
the security booth. They get very accusatory, I deny everything. Out walks the police officer and he does the little yer
under arrest spiel. I get searched and damn near charged with a concealed weapons charge because I was carrying a
pocket knife. The cop takes my tape recorder, my pocket mag light, my wirecutters, my screwdrivers and the knife. He
leaves me my little black book and my rat shack tone dialer (I didn't claim he knew what he was doing <G>).
Then I get put in the car, and since I didn't feel like spending the night in jail, and I know BC-Tel can just check the
records and see if I was on the line when the security guard caught me, I decide to 'fess up. The long and the short of it is,
I haven't been charged, but the school was just a bit upset. Oh yeah, they searched my house too, you should have seen
their faces when they saw all my electronic junk spread out across my bed... I'm sure they thought I was the god of hackers
himself out to destroy the universe or something <snicker>.
Oh yeah a few funny quotes from officer Kassan. "have you ever heard of a black box?" "have you ever done any
hacking before?" "where did you ditch the black box?" He wouldn't believe I had used the tape recorder... anywayz, yer
right for the most part, it should be impossible to get caught. I unfortunately made the mistake of boxing from a place
where I couldn't run away, thus when security came looking I couldn't do anything but play dumb.
------------
Kinda scary. Personally, I've laughed my head off at any operator who'd threatened to send security to my pay phone,
no matter where I was. Guess I should be a little more careful in the future. I heard another story from an old friend of
mine in Florrisant, MO who I'd made a red box for about five years ago.
He claimed that he was at Subway Sandwhich shop using their phone outside showing off his red box to a few friends
but was having problems with it and kept getting a live operator. Finally they gave up and went inside to eat.
About 10 minutes later a Southwestern Bell truck pulled up and the guy got out, opened the front of the phone and
plugged a little terminal into the front of the phone. (He described it as looking like one of those personal organizers, but
with a lit-up screen.)
The lineman messed with his terminal for about five minutes, unplugged it and left. Whether this was related to his
playing on the phone or not, neither of us know.
Phone Losers of America Headline News
Neither one of the news clippings this month are phone related but they're both fairly amusing.
Van crashes into Redneck Shop - Albany Democrat Herald, March 25, 1996
LAURENS, SC (AP) - A man drove a van through the front windows of a new store that sells Confederate and Ku Klux
Klan paraphernalia, and it was no accident, police said.
Police said David Prichard Hunter, 43, backed a white van in and out of the front of the Redneck Shop several times
on Sunday, destroying the windows and damaging some of its contents. Hunter, who is white, was charged with malicious
damage to property and held in the Laurens city jail.
Self-professed KKK member John Howard opened his shop inside an old movie theater March 1. On display inside
the store and Klan memorabilia and flags, as well as pictures of cross burnings, Klan meetings and Klan founders. He has
said he is selling items to raise funds for a Klan museum.
No one was inside the store when the incident occurred. Police said no one was hurt. Hunter was angry about the
shop's existence and had vowed "to do something about it," said his brother, Kevin. Howard said he was out of town
picking up T-shirts when the damage was done. "I don't know why he done it," Howard said.
------------
April fool joke backfires - Albany Democrat Herald
CORVALLIS - A Corvallis couple have been charged with forgery and aggravated first-degree theft after cashing a
fake sweepstakes check they had received as an April Fool's Day joke, according to Corvallis police.
The $52,000 check came in Robert and Gay Lynn Kahler's mail last week, addressed to a former roommate. The
check was accompanied by a letter explaining that the former roommate had won $260,000 and the check was the first of
four annual payments.
Police said Kahler forged the roommate's signature on the back of the check and his wife deposited it in her checking
account through an automated teller machine. When the couple learned their account had been credited, they got several
cashier's checks and bought a 1993 Ford Explorer and a 1994 Ford truck from local auto dealers. Much of the rest of the
money was withdrawn as cash and the Kahlers used some to pay bills.
The couple's bank alerted police when officals found the sweepstakes check was drawn on a bank that doesn't exist.
Police recovered the two vehicles and about $10,400 in cash. They contacted the former roommate, who said he had made
the check and the letter on his home computer and sent it to the Kahlers as an April Fool's Day joke.
The Kahlers were taken to the Benton County jail on Saturday. The former roommate has not been charged with any
crimes, but the incident remains under investigation.
Classifieds and Other Things:
COOLEST E-MAIL OF THE MONTH: Good Afternoon, I saw your address while on line. I figured that most people
are into saving money so I thought I would drop you a friendly note. Does your long distance carrier give you a flat 9.9
cents per minute on your interstate long distance 24-hours-per-day 365-days per year? AND the ability to ELIMINATE
your long distance phone bills AND FREE teleconferencing? If not, say the word and I'll send off a helpful email file that
COULD save you a lot of money or even make your long distance FREE! <g> Warmest regards,
-Ken Korbel
"Dear customers of Fred Meyer, due to the pending lawsuit of five hundred people getting food poisoning, all
food lanes are temporarily closed." -aLi3N
Hey, everyone, I still got a ton of these cool tshirts left! Get 'em while they're hot! The PLA-ATT War tshirt is now
available. For more details, email bueno@peak.org or send all your money (well, $17.00, anyways) to Phone Losers of
America, PO Box 1872, Albany, OR, 97321. Cassette tapes of really stupid prank phone calls are also available.
Next time you're on IRC, stop by #rock so we can harass you. If that's too lame for you, you can talk to Scott The
Believer and his slightly overweight daughter in #deaf and if all else fails, check out #stuy95 and talk to (loc)utus.
I found this message posted in the news group alt.2600 by locutus@dorsai.org."Well I know it's off topic and I
know it's inapropriate, and I know I'll probably get flamed, but part of me just has to extend a 'fuck off and die' to rbcp..I
hate that sonofabitch...loc"(utus) (i'm so popular) :
PLA is in desperate need of submissions because my stuff is so lame so send me your stuff, dammit. Phone call
transcripts, stupid stories, phone numbers, threatening e-mail you've received, amusing posts, money, anything. I can
be reached at bueno@peak.org & anyone submitting an article that appear in a future issue of PLA will get a FREE
autographed sock, previously owned by el_jefe and twice as smelly.
Act now!
I love you, Techmitch, you are my only fan! Run away with me so I can be free of this abusive RedBoxChiliPepper.
-Colleen Card
RBCP!! I know who you are! I got arrested because of you!! Well, not really, but I did get arrested for trashing, and
they found some PLA issues that my fried at Kinkos had made into a book for me. The cops took the whole thing seriously
and booked PLA issues 000-016 into evidence! We didn't actually get caught while we were trashing, we got pulled over
on the way home and the cop searched the car. He was confused by trash from cell phone providers, and a bunch of
telephones that had aligator clips instead of modular's. The funny thing is, the only thing they really had on us were
three cloned cell phones and they left those in the car at the impound lot and we got 'em back. What's booked into
evidence as cell phones are three NON cell phone telephones, just regular phones you use at home. The only other
evidence was in my pocket, and they missed that so I ate it sitting in the cop car. -FLEA.
JOKE OF THE WEEK: How many top OCI Security Officials does it take to figure out what number you're calling
from? Give up? None! They're still trying to figure out how the hell to screw in a light bulb.
The best way to cactus someone is to mail that person a couple of cactus and they'll just think "what the hell is
happening I'm getting a fucking cactus in the mail" -SPEED
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
FTP.INTERCONNECT.NET - pub/personal/pla
FTP.SPIFF.NET - /pub/users/apok0lyp/pla
ftp://ftp.interconnect.net - /personal/pla
ftp://ftp.spiff.net - /pub/users/apok0lyp/pla
bueno@peak.org - RedBoxChiliPepper
cactus@i1.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@i1.net - Apok0lyps
http://www.apci.net/~eightbal/ - Eight Ball's PLA Corner Pocket
http://www.pancreas.com/libs/pla.htm - THe FLoaTinG PanCReaS BBS
http://peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Whombat Communications
http://www.spiff.net/~apok0lyp/index.html - PLA, Manson, Anime
http://www.compumedia.com/~jnoonan/pla - Delirium's Original PLA Web Page
This issue marks a temporary end to the issues. Seriously this time. No, really, you gotta believe me. I'm not kidding
around. Anyway, so that I can have a little extra time to pursue other projects, I'm putting a temporary stop to PLA. So in
answer to anyone who wants to e-mail me and ask when PLA040 is going to be out, the answer is probably around the end
of 1996.
Of course this doesn't mean you still can't submit. By any means possible, send me stuff. Keep watching the web page
for further updates. And stay tuned next issue when we publish the personal credit histories of all the employees over at
Send-A-Song... (Just kidding, Bob!)
Issue #040
Colleen Card’s Unauthorized PLA Issue
Since RBCP is so lazy and doesn't want to write anymore PLA I've decided, in the spirit of dhate, to release my own
issue of PLA once again against RBCP's will. My issue will be even less useful than his are because I've written very little to
do with phones or computers. Oh yeah and since RBCP thinks he's too manly to do it himself, I suppose I'll have to be the
one to announce the birth of our daughter Emily which happened nearly five months ago.
Oh the joys of motherhood are tremendous. Laundry, dishes, feeding the baby and changing diapers.
RedBoxChiliPepper sure has his work cut out for him. Meanwhile I'm trying to educate little Emily. We're starting out
easy with red boxes, but she just keeps drooling on the circuit board. We have high expectations for her though and are
hoping she'll be the first Phone Loser that actually knows how to do anything.
So if you'd like to read something technical, go build something and send us a submission. We aren't bright enough to
do it ourselves. But if you are looking for tons of laughs we do recommend Calvin & Hobbes.
In other news, Nekid Amy of PLAGIF07.GIF had sex at Defcon in somebody's bed, shower and on their floor. To
protect the innocent we won't be releasing victim's name but if you ever attend another con stay away from this nappy
bitch. Rumor & speculation suggests she's carrying more variations of VD that any human being has ever endured and that
touching her will make you die instantly. Being in the same room only makes you nauseated so that's why Defcon wasn't as
cool as it usually is. Secret sources indicate that after infecting the entire Granite City, Illinois area, she's moving on to
303. Be careful.
I hope you enjoy this issue and check out our web page because RBCP thinks it's neat and if you don't agree with him
his feelings get hurt. So visit http://www.peak.org/~bueno/pla.html and don't tell him how much it sucks. He's sensitive.
I'm also starting a new page called Colleen Card's Coupon Craze at http://www.peak.org/~bueno/colleen/coupon.html
beginning in October where you'll be able to get a great bargain on some stunning PLA merchandise. Impress your friends,
get grounded by your parents and all that. 4 out of 5 hackers agree that our t-shirts aren't quite as lame as erikb's MODLOD shirts but pretty damn close.
Colleen Card
A New Life For All!
Working 9 to 5 and getting nowhere? Does it seem like you never have the time to accomplish your goals for a
brighter future and a stronger psyches? Do you believe someone should be required to cook and provide all of your meals
for you? Are you tried of maximum work for minimum wage and having no health care or even being able to afford cable
TV or cigarettes?
ALL THIS CAN BE YOURS!
At our facilities we take care of our guests. Room, board and three hot meals a day. We provide outdoor activities,
have an extensive library and numerous athletic facilities. A structured environment where you can even continue your
education!
How can I have all this? All it will cost you is your dignity. So go out and commit a federal crime. Live on the edge, do
bad things, hack into hundreds of out-of-state systems without covering your tracks, make threatening interstate phone
calls to the president and get back what you've put into uncle sam today.
Paid for by the Lets Throw Everybody In Jail So The Government Can Have Complete Control Like The Commies
Party Party.
Kitchen Improvised Peanut Butter & Jelly
Ready for some REAL anarchy? Read this file and follow the instructions. You'll never be the same again. I, Colleen
Card, am not responsible for the outcome of this article. You are acting on your own will and I cannot be held responsible
for your actions if anyone gets hurt or the police come knocking. Use common sense.
Ingredients:
(1) Plate (glass preferred, but paper will work)
(2) Slices of bread (generic is fine)
(1) jar of Skippy peanut butter
(1) jar of jelly
(1) spoon (make sure the scoop is concave)
(2) butter knives (do NOT use a sharp knife - you'll get grounded)
An optional accessory would be a glass of milk but there's no need to get fancy because it won't last long. Most of
these supplies and Ingredients can be obtained through a local grocery store or Army surplus shop. I would have included
a chemical equivalency chart but space didn't permit.
1) Set the plate down on a smooth surface. The kitchen counter will work just fine but if you're sloppy (i.e. have never
does this before) you'll have a mighty big mess to clean up.
2) Set the two slices of bread on the plate next to each other facing opposite directions. If you have them going the
same way they won't fit together correctly in the end and you'll end up having to start over and waste all that product.
3) Pop the lids off both the jelly and the peanut butter. This is usually done by twisting the lids counter-clockwise but
some brand names open differently. Consult the instructions on the top of the lid if you have any problems.
4) Use the spoon and take one heaping scoop of jelly out of the jar. SET THE PEANUT BUTTER OFF TO THE SIDE
so that you don't accidentally drip any jelly into it. Using the spoon, carefully set the jelly onto one slice of bread. Using
one of the knives, spread the jelly evenly all over the slice being careful not to drip any over the edges.
5) After securing the lid to the jelly and setting it off to the side, take your peanut butter and use the second knife to
take a scoop out of the jar. DO NOT attempt to use the same knife you used for the jelly even if you've washed it off really
good. This could contaminate the peanut butter rendering the rest of the jar useless. Use the knife to spread peanut butter
over the surface of the second piece of bread. Basically use the same technique as you did with the jelly but you'll notice
the texture is a little different.
6) Okay, the easy part is over with, now for the difficult stuff. Make sure you're in a well-lighted area so that you don't
screw this part up. Chances are that you won't get it right the first time. Don't be discouraged, just start over. Take the slice
of bread containing the peanut butter by the far edge and flip it over on top of the slice with the jelly so that the jelly and
peanut butter mix. Carefully adjust the top slice so that the edges are even with the bottom slice all the way around.
Okay, that's it & you've done it! It might be a good idea to push the whole thing towards the center of the plate to
reduce the risk of the plate tipping over if you decide to pick it up. Hope that you get plenty of use out of this as us here in
the PLA have.
Police Log
Below is a police log that an old friend sent me last year. He says that he was so smashed this night that he doesn't
remember a thing that happened and just woke up in jail one day. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
CHARGE:
BAIL:
Burglary I
$5500.00
Kidnap II
$5500.00
Att. Burglary I
$5500.00
Criminal Mischief II
$1000.00
Criminal Mischief II
$1000.00
Criminal Mischief II
$1000.00
SUMMARY:
On 01/01/xx at about 0438hrs Michael Simms was arrested on Burglary I, Kidnap II and other charges when he
broke into 16053 SE Stark St. #146, Portland, Robert and Margaret Etten's residence.
ACTION TAKEN:
On 01/01/xx at about 0422hrs Sgt. Shingles and I were dispatched to a disturbance of an unknown person pounding
on the door at 16053 SE Stark St. #146, Portland. We arrived and began getting multiple reports of someone pounding on
doors. Then we got a report that the person had broken a window and made entry into one of the apartments.
Sgt. Shingles found Michael Simms crouched down attempting to hide by the apartments. I went to meet them. I
observed that Simms was soaking wet and very muddy. I saw that his hands were cut and bleeding.
I detained Simms and read him his Miranda rights from a prepared card. I asked him if he understood his rights and
he said, "yes."
I smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Simm's breath. I saw that his eyes were red and watery. He had
difficulty standing & staggered when he walked.
Sgt. Shingles found that apartment #146 had been burglarized. He contacted the residents Mr. and Mrs. Etten. They
told him someone had broken the kitchen window and came into their apartment.
Sgt. Shingles took Simms by the victims' window to see if they could identify him. Mrs. Etten said that the man was
definately the one that had been in their apartment. Mr. Etten had moved to a different window to look out and didn't see
the suspect.
I observed that there was glass all over their kitchen from the broken window in the kitchen. I saw that the kitchen
window faced the back of the apartment. I observed dirt on the kitchen floor. There was blood on the refrigerators.
I saw that outside the back of the apartment was the kitchen window screen. I observed that it was all cut up and had
holes poked in it. There was a large wooden cupboard on the back porch that had been knocked on its side. There was also
dirt on the read door and a foot print. The screen door was open and had not been damaged.
Deputy Guider took pictures of the damage to apartments #144, #145 and #146. He took statements from witnesses
and wrote a special report. I took the window screen as evidence. I also seized a black kershaw knife and a screwdriver
from Simms as evidence. I gave Simms a receipt for his property.
STATEMENT - MARGARET ETTEN:
Mrs. Etten told me she thought she hear an explosion. She told me she thought it was because of New Year's Eve. She
said that she looked out of her bedroom window and saw a bush moving all around.
Margaret told me she heard a pounding and a crash. She said she looked in the kitchen and saw glass all over. She
told me she tried to call the Health Center but must have dialed the wrong number.
She said, "I was scared. I looked up and saw him standing there." She told me Bob, her husband, tried to call 911.
Margaret said the man took the telephone receiver off the hook and put it on the desk. She told me Bob started for the
door but the man stopped him. The man was showing them the phone off the hook but saying "This is the door, don't open
the door or they will come and get me."
Margaret said the man was in the house a good long time. She said he went into the bathroom and turned on the
light. She told me he combed his hair and turned on a "blower."
Margaret told me the man was raving and rambling. She said he wasn't making any sense. She said he said leave the
phone right there. He pointed at the phone and was saying that's the door, don't open it.
She told me she absolutely identified the man that we brought by her window. She said that there is no question that
he was the man in their apartment.
STATEMENT - ROBERT ETTEN:
Robert told me he heard a great pounding. He thought someone was working next door because they had been doing
some remodeling there. Then he said there wasa big crash. He told me he was walking out and came around to the kitchen.
He saw a man standing in their house.
Robert Etten said the man was pointing out towards the back and saying, "That's it over there." Robert said that the
man was trying to say the problem was over there and wasn't him. He said that the man was incoherent in his talking. He
told me he could hardly understand him.
Robert said the man wanted him to do something but he didn't know what. He said his wife tried to call the health
center and he called 911. Robert said the man was at least 6ft tall. He said we just obeyed him we didn't argue with him. He
said, "Boy did he tear the place up."
Robert told me the man took the phone off the hook. The man told him to leave it like that and don't touch it or they
will get me. Robert said the man didn't want him to go to the door. When he went to the door, the man said "This is the
door," (as he was referring to the telephone). He told him not to touch it or they would come and get him.
Robert said he unlocked the front door but didn't open it. He said he knew the cops were coming. He told me he
didn't argue with the man. Robert said he noticed the man was slurring his words and didn't make any sense. He told me
the man went in the bathroom and came out.
He said that the man wanted him to push III on the telephone. He told me he just did it but didn't know why. Then
the man tried to push the buttons himself and just pushed a lot of buttons. The man crawled back out the kitchen window.
STATEMENT - MICHAEL SIMMS:
Michael told me that he maybe fell into a window. After that he denied breaking a window. He kept telling me to look
at the blood on his hands so I could tell it wasn't from the window. He also said that just because there was blood on his
hands that didn't prove he broke the window.
He said he saw cops. He said, "I'm not stupid." Then he wouldn't explain what that meant. He told me he was walking
through and a bunch of cops were questioning him and arresting him. He said, "I didn't steal anything." He said, "For all I
know I should be sitting in Detox."
When I told him witnesses had identified him, he said that the witnesses were probably a bunch of old people. He
said, "I don't know anything, what the hell happened.", "I did not break into an old folks home and break a window."
Then at the jail he said that there was probably someone else there that did it. He said that if there was someone else
then maybe it was this one guy but he didn't know his name.
EVIDENCE:
1 knife
1 screwdriver
1 window screen
Horoscopes
TAURUS APR 20 - MAY 20: You are a stubborn buttface. You should be nice and do what everyone tells you to do.
GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20: You are psychotic and have multiple personalities. On the 20th the moon will rise to the
day and make the night conflict. Buy mass quantities of Snickers bars this week.
CANCER JUN 21 - JULY 22: The planets urge you to turn off your computer and go talk to a girl. On the 11th you
might have a threesome assuming you're not a fat slob with zits on your butt. If the later is true, buy a PLA t-shirt.
LEO JULY 23 - AUG 22: You have a big mouth. If you have blonde hair, dye it brown. Your mom feeds you too much
cheese-whiz. A mysterious transvestite will msg you if you get an account on AOL this month.
VIRGO AUG 23 - SEPT 22: The fruity-ass motherfucker formation of the planets will compel you to read recent back
issues of Phrack and order lots of t-shirts from erikb. Wearing one of his stylish LOD-MOD t-shirts will create financial
rewards and maybe cause you to get lucky. (Yeah, right, with Nekid Amy maybe.)
LIBRA SEPT 23 - OCT 22: If your parents go out of town on the 15th, you may get to watch the Porno Channel if you
can figure out how to hack the parental control unit on top of the set. If not, the formation of the stars may allow you to
play with Rosey Palmer & her five sisters.
SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOV 21: Take a deep breath and keep anxieties to yourself. The new moon of the 17th will result
in the completion of a working red box and maybe the loss of a few pimples.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 22 - DEC 21: Many Reeses peanut butter cups are in your near future. Work & money claim
most of the archer's attention this month. If problems persist, take your frustrations out on the OCI operators. Their
number is 1-800-288-2880.
CAPRICORN DEC 22 - JAN 20: Mars & Sun will bring job success to your future. All you need to do is fill out the
application at McDonald's.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 19: This month begins with the moons coinciding with a federal raid to your apartment.
Don't bother encoding all your valuables because you will be released when the FBI's janitor accidentally throws away your
notebook full of codes.
PISCES FEB 20 - MAR 19: Venus's fourth moon on it's fifth rotation on the 17 th at the east-west polar axis compel's
you to order many songs from the automated Send-A-Song service by dialing 1-800-272-7664.
ARIES MAR 20 - APR 19: We are such stupid losers that we can't think of anything else to write so consult the
anarchy files on your local bbs to learn how to make a fake ID, changing your birth sign from Aries to one of the others
above.
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
FTP.INTERCONNECT.NET - pub/personal/pla
FTP.SPIFF.NET - /pub/users/apok0lyp/pla
bueno@peak.org - RedBoxChiliPepper
roy@icsi.interconnect.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@i1.net - Apok0lyps
http://www.apci.net/~eightbal/ - Eight Ball's PLA Corner Pocket
http://www.pancreas.com/libs/pla.htm - THe FLoaTinG PanCReaS BBS
http://peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Phone Losers of America Homepage
http://www.spiff.net/~apok0lyp/index.html - PLA, Manson, Anime
http://www.compumedia.com/~jnoonan/pla - Delirium's Original PLA Web Page
Issue #041
Released on October 6, 1996
"Quite frankly your life was in the shitter by the time you first went to Texas. You can't blame me for all your
fuckups." - Chris Tomkinson, 1995
(1) My quest to become a member of the PLA - by Digital Dreamer
(2) Prank Phone Call Transcripts - Mouthbreather
(3) Free Groceries For All - The Cookiesnatcher
(4) Letters
My quest to become a member of the PLA - by Digital Dreamer
By: Digital Dreamer (Valium on EFnet, Digital on Undernet)
Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to be a member of PLA. It was almost instant -- the first time I saw
that issue of PLA001, I have been obsessed. I would read and reread each issue, straining my eyes to read the text printed
from the faded, aged printer ribbon my friend, Phil had. I didn't have a printer, you see. My TRS-80's daisywheel had
long ago given out. But that didn't deter me.
I realized, soon enough, that my only way to get in to PLA would be to emulate RedBoxChilliPepper. Even though he
wasn't the leader, he was the one who wrote all the articles, and so his exploits were the most documented. When I heard
that he brought his laptop with him in to work to do stuff like write issues of PLA, I instantly realized how I could be like
him. I tossed my TRS-80 in the trunk, 10 8inch disks with my latest warez (written in BASIC-80, I was so proud!), and
went to my college elevator. I knew the elevator had one of those emergency phones, and I also knew it had a power plug
for maintenance. I discreetly smuggled my TRS-80 under my coat to get by the security guard. I hadn't started shaving
yet (although I could hardly wait to tell Phil when I did!), so I just told the guard I was a pregnant child prostitute and he
let me past.
Once inside the elevator, I ripped the emergency telephone out of the wall, and lo and behold, there was a wall jack.
Quickly setting up my TRS-80, I booted and went into the wardialer I had written. I told it to start scanning an exchange.
I felt like a real Phone Freak. About 3 seconds later, I had arrived at the floor I told the elevator to go to. Quickly I pushed
another button so the doors would close and the elevator would keep going. Well, that's until the people on the bottom
floor noticed something was amiss and told me to stop. But I didn't care, I had scanned an entire exchange, and the
results were stored on a single 8 inch disk. I could hardly wait to get home and tell my mom!
I emailed RedBoxChilliPepper about this repeatedly, and not once did he reply. I figured he wasn't that impressed,
since he had probably done it himself before, so I decided to use his own tricks against him. I quickly got the Phrack list of
outdials that Erikb had published 3 years ago, along with Phrack 47. Unfortunately, none of them worked, but after
whining on EFNet #phreak for about 3 hours (it took 2 just to get on the IRC at 300 baud from my trusty TRS -- the
accoustic couplers kept falling off), someone told me one. So I quickly telnetted to it from my friend's machine (I had
hacked his password by watching him type it in at school) and dialed up the relay service. I asked them to please dial
directory assistance for Illinois. I realize now that I could have just dialed up tdd directory assistance for Illinois direct,
but I was young and foolish. Anyway, I told them that I didn't actually have a name or number or address. However, I did
have a .GIF of him, so I drew it best I could for the tdd relay operator using my ASCII art skills, and asked her to describe
it to the directory assistance operator. After I did that, she said "sksk" and hung up. Ah-A! I had it, RBCP's name was
"sksk". Now I could scare him with my Phone Phreak (Phil told me that was how it was spelled -- I didn't get it, they said
never to spell stuff like that in English class, but I didn't want to make a scene by pointing out Phil's mistake) Skills. I was
so proud.
I then emailed RBCP several more time, addressing him by name (Hi, there, sksk. Yes, I know your name, my skills
are *that* leet, fear me.) (Phil helped me write that one) to scare him. I must have scared him so much he couldn't bear to
reply, because he didn't. I was so happy, I danced around the house singing "I'm a Phone Phreak, nyah nyah" until my
mom made me stop.
I knew that only impressing RBCP wouldn't be any good -- I'd need to impress that Zak hooligan, too. So I decided
to make some prank calls through my favorite Bell Relay Service Operator, 4312 (F). Talking to her always gave me an
erection. Here is a log of one.
OPERATOR: number pls ga
ME: 1-800-LOAN-YES
OPERATOR: ringing... 1... 2... (answered) (ca here ... explaining relay service) .. ok, hello.. ga
ME: BIG PINK DONKEY DICKS! (please hang up, ca)
OPERATOR: ok .. disconnected, ga or sk
ME: hang up, fool.
OPERATOR: ok, thanks for using at&t sksk
ME: yeah, whatever.
<session ends>
I was so proud, I sent Zak taped recordings of my prank calls. They weren't very interesting, just the sound of my
typing for about 20 minutes, but I saw he liked doing that a lot, so I sent them anyway. He never replied, he must have
been real peachy keen impressed. I was soo happy.
As I was browsing the PLA website in lynx one day, I saw that they had an application form up! Excitedly, I took it
home and got my mom and dad to help me fill it out for me. I was a bit worried when there was the section to enter in
your credit card, since I had heard they were Credit Card Phreaks, but I filled it in anyway.
I mailed it in, and while I was waiting for a response, my parents got a big shock. Boy howdy, the bill on that credit
card was $1,000e10! How did that happen? I thought it might have been PLA, but I was too afraid to tell my parents. They
changed their credit card number with some white out and an exacto knife, but still they kept getting billed. Eventually,
they just gave up and cancelled the credit card, but it didn't stop there. I kept getting 20-30 calls a DAY with people just
calling up, saying "Jim Rimmer" (that's my name, they must have got it the same was as me through the relay service,
since I have my picture up on my homepage). I began to get real frustrated, and got the telephone company (BackAsswards-Communications, Inc. One time when I was down there looking at the new switches (they upgraded to SxS) as
part of a tour, they mentioned they were really called Oncor, but that they never used that name except at formal
occasions) to change my number. The phone calls stopped for about 20 seconds, and then resumed. I was so surprised, I
wondered who could be doing it.
Well, the calls slowed down for a while, but then one morning I woke up when the doorbell rang. I looked out my
window and my street was positively filled with all sorts of trucks, cars, vans and fire department vehicles! I was so
worried I wet myself. But once I changed clothes, I told them all it was a mistake and to go away. Well, it was hard to get
that all out, because I had a bran muffin in my mouth and all these reporters were asking me questions. But I eventually
got it out once I accidentally spat out my bran muffin on some guy standing beside me.
Anyway, then my phone line changed somehow. It started asking me for quarters! I thought this must be some
change in billing procedures, but I also realized this would be the perfect chance for me to try out my Red Box! Wow, I
called all my friends over and we sat around the phone. I picked it up and hit the quarter button. Unfortunately, it didn't
work! All my friends called me a loser and beat me up for my lunchmoney, but I didn't care. I was a Phone Phreak!
Sadly, I have been unable to continue persuing my membership in PLA, because my TRS-80 accoustic modem can't
dial over the new kind of phone line. My parents are afraid to go to the telco office and ask them to change it, because the
billing office is out in the middle of the forest and is surrounded by bears, hunters and ugly people.
Anyway, I thought I'd share my experiences with you so you too can try to get into PLA. Good luck!
[dreamer@garrison.inetcan.net]
Digital Dreamer (Valium on EFnet, Digital on Undernet)
Prank Phone Call Transcripts
No PLA issue can be complete without a few prank phone call transcripts. The following three are done by
Mouthbreather (847). The first transcript is from a collect call made through OCI to an adjacent pay phone that just so
happens to accept collect calls (847-234-9674).
OP: Hello this is OCI, you have a collect call from Mike Hunt.
ME: What? I have a collect call from your cunt? Why the hell is your cunt calling me?
OP: <pissed> Mike <pause> Hunt
ME: There's a collect call coming from your cunt? That's disgusting! You are a sick person
OP: I'm putting the call through anyway
------------
Him: Hello?
Me: Lactation Services incorporated?
Him: Yes.
Me: Hi, I would like to get a breast pump
Him: Sure, hold on one second
Me: Sure <I'm put on hold for awhile...>
Mary: Hello, this is Mary
Me: Hi, I'm interested in a breast pump
Mary: Hi!
Me: Hi, how are you?
Mary: How are you, who is this?
Me: This is Nathan, but you can call me Bobby.
Mary: But I can call you Bobby?
Me: Yeah, that's most my friends call me because when I was a kid...
Mary: uh huh
Me: ...there was this kid in my grade who used to look just like me...
Mary: uh huh
Me: ...and his name was Bobby
Mary: Huh!
Me: And so, like, he was a real trouble maker, and he would always get beaten up by kids, or people would want to,
but they would always get me instead.
Mary: Oh my goodness.
Me: It was horrible.
Mary: Well it sounds like it. I assume this is for your...
Me: That's why I'm missing my left buttocks.
Mary: <pause> Is your wife there?
Me: Um, no she isn't. this is going to be a gift.
Mary: this is a gift to...
Me: To my wife.
Mary: ...to your wife. Okay so your looking for a purchase
Me: Yes.
Mary: Did you just have the baby? or...
Me: Yes, we just had the baby?
Mary: ...good. Where did you deliver it?
Me: Lake Forest Hospital.
Mary: Lake Forest? And where are you located?
Me: I'm in Lake Forest too.
Mary: Oh, so did you see the add in the yellow pages?
Me: Oh, yes I did.
Mary: Oh, great, that's good...
Me: It was great, i liked it.
Mary: Good. The purchase bress pump I have is called the Medilius pump-in-style.
Me: Ooohh!
Mary: It's a bress pump that comes...
Me: How many designer colors?
Mary: It comes in blue.
Me: Oh excellent.
Mary: The bag is nav...
Me: Cause the baby is a boy.
Mary: Oh okay, well the bag is navy blue, and ummm...it gives the woman the capability of pumping both breasts at
the same time...
Me: WHOA!
Mary: Is she going back to work?
Me: Not any time soon. If she did could she wear it to work?
Mary: If she did she could bring it to work, yes.
Me: Isn't it kind of bulky though? Would people be like... <trailing off laughing>
Mary: Is this a prank call or is this serious?
Me: No I'm sorry...
Mary: ok
Me: ...it's just that I'm a little insecure about breasts.
Mary: Oh, well she wouldn't wear it to work, she would use on and off. She's bress feeding the baby?
Me: Yes. When I say titmouse I start laughing <trails off laughing>
Mary: Okay I take that this is a prank call.
Me: No, when I say titmous I start laughing <trails off laughing>
------------
PET: Pet Center may I help you?
DAN (ME): Um, yes, I lost my teddy bear, I think I dropped it in your rat cage and I was wondering if they would, uh,
try to rip it apart? or something?
PET: They might
DAN: They might?
PET: Sure.
DAN: Could you rip it away from them? Cause I like my teddy bear.
PET: Take it away.
DAN: <sobbing> Don't give me any lip, bitch! I'm serious. My favorite teddy, my favorite fucking teddy bear!
PET: Teddy bear what? A hamster?
DAN: A Teddy BEAR!!! <sobbing> Listen bitch, give me my teddy bear! Now.
PET: Wait, what it is a stuffed teddy bear?
DAN: <sobbing> Yeah, it's a teddy bear!
PET: A stuffed teddy bear.
DAN: YES!!! <sob>
DAN: <different voice> Hello, this is Dan's father, I want my teddy bear. My son was in their, and he had a teddy
bear and he dropped it in the rat cage.
PET: Here?
DAN: Yes he did, and now the rats are tearing it apart, and you won't do crap about it! and I'm pissed off.
PET: This is the weirdest...I don't know what to tell you, you're going to...
DAN: What I'm going to do? I'm not in the store, you can do it.
PET: You dropped the teddy bear in a tank in the store here?
DAN: Yes, and know it's ripped apart and you won't do crap about it!
PET: Well... Well...
DAN: Well are you retarded? Can't you speak? And now I'm at home...
PET: You calm down.
DAN: And know I'm at home, and there's no teddy bear, cause it's in the tank.
Free Groceries For All! - written by The Cookiesnatcher
Alright here's the thing, me being of the adolecent I am, have to do adolecent things, one of which is getting a shit job.
For three long months I worked at a fast food chain called "Hardee's". This is a place almost identical to McDonald's,
anyway among the tasks performed there were common fast food shit like taking orders, dealing with customers, etc, etc.
One day we ran out of strawberries (for milk shakes), and as it were, milk.
So me being the little work horse I am was sent to the nearest Grocery Store to fetch these needed product's. I was
thinking that they would give me money or a check or some way of paying for these but instead told me to tell the grocery
store to bill it to Hardee's, I said ok and was on my way.
When I retrieved the items and went up to the check out register I simply told her to charge it to Hardee's. Do we see
where this is going yet? They wrote out a little form and had me sign at the bottom, not asking for ID, proof of
employment or any means of identifacion. So I was on my merry way to my mundane job thinking "hmmmm, that was
too easy".
So I finished up my day's work and the next day (which I had off) went back to the store wearing my Hardee's
uniform and did the same thing, only this time I took stuff that I wanted, like cigerettes, condoms (so i can have sex)...(ok
so I can be prepared to have sex)........(alright alright i didnt get condoms!!!) and things to that effect. I went up to the
counter and did the same thing only this time I signed my name as someone who doesnt exist.
It's really that easy to get anything you want from a grocery store. Just make sure its the closest Grocery Store to the
fast food place you are charging it to.
Letters
Imagine my surprise when I found out that PLA fans can actually compose entire letters! I was so shocked I decided
to clean out my capture directory and put all the content here. If YOU'D like to tell me where to go, write your letters to
bueno@peak.org. Letters which have signatures longer than the body of the letter will be heavily edited and printed to
make the author look retarded.
Dear PLA:
As a disgruntled ex-Kroger Grocery Store Employee (heavy on the ex, light on the disgruntled) I have a little
knowledge of Kroger's Paging system which I am more than happy to share for the sake of PLA :)
At my store old store, (I'm not sure about every store but will check others in a few dayz) the paging extension was 50.
If you were a cashier, all you'd have to do was pick up the phone, dial 50, then broadcast your message over the entire
store. The customer service extension was 255.
If you wanted to take over from the outside you would have to dial up customer service (ex: 912-925-0095). Then
have them switch you to another department. You wouldn't want to take over through customer service, they get
suspicious. Try getting transfered to a department like produce. Produce is usually stocked with a bunch of teen age boys
who don't give a fuck what you do and may just help you becuase they are bored as hell. Go figure!
You could also try departments who don't use the phone a lot like Seafood, Meat Dept, Deli, or Bakery. Now for an
employee to transfer you, he must hit FLASH (click the hook once), 51, then 50 for the paging extension. Now you gots
total control. Give it a try, if you're bored one day and happen to have an unused calling card code. Good Luck!
N-TREEG
------------
Dear PLA:
umm, i read pla 39, and you were talking about all the security with them needing zip codes.... bah ... i did your foolthe-gas-station thing (beat your record too, got 5 cards in once call from dave the night man) with a speedway in our huge
pop. 200 town here, and when id play around carding calls through 800-COLLECT (face it, mci deserves more than at&t if
only for their "are you out there at&t" commercials.) and they need the zip code too, if you get the cards from a small-town
gas station then 90% of them will be the zip code the gas station is in. call the town's post office (or a town resident if you
want to confuse them, i guess) and get the zip code. umm, have fun with the roam ops.
------------
Dear PLA:
This is a 13 year old, and you have officially corrupted me. hoo hoo ha ha ha!! If ya don't mind, we're gonna use your
method of messing around with Fred Meyers (they're up in alaska, too), just cuz it's so d@mn (I'm always one step ahead
of the censors...) funny! I love PLA, you guys are my idols.
thanxQuinton
------------
Dear PLA:
hey me and a buddy visited #rock seeking out constant hassling and we found nothing just some fukko name phelon
made some comment about niggers and i suddenly transformed into an angry black muslim. no one else ever said
anything. no witty comebacks. what's up? i thought i was suppose to get shit on if i go in there.
-humbly disgruntled
------------
Dear RBCP:
I really love your web page, and everthing on it, it really is one of my favorite, if not #1, but reading through your life
story there was one thing I didn't understand, how in the Helsinki did you pass pennies in quarter rolls as quarters?! The
quarter roll has a wider diameter than the pennies and unless you cut the paper and glued it... how would you do it... I'm
interested in knowing...for information purposes only, of course.
thanks & keep pla alive for ever,
blucloake
http://members.iglou.com/boiser5/bluecloak.htm
[Although it's very risky, it's also very easy. It goes something like this: Take one roll of pennies, open it and remove
four pennies from the roll, scotch tape the roll shut very tightly, cut 2 1/2 strips of construction paper the same width as
your new penny roll and tape it around the roll.
Now you should have a cylinder that has the exact same width and diameter of a roll of quarters. Wrap a quarter
wrapper around it, tape the ends, write a fake name and phone number on the side and you're ready to go. A safer, yet not
as cost effective, alternative would be to remove SIX pennies from the original roll, then after you've stuck the modified
pennies into the quarter roll, stick a quarter on each side, just in case the cashier opens it. This saved me a few times. ]
------------
Dear PLA:
Some pretty amusing pranks there for the 7-11 pinheads to ponder. Me, I won't even go into a 7-11 store. Haven't ever
since the puss-brains quit selling cigarette papers. Nuts to 7-11. I'm kind've an aging fart, 45 going on 46, but I still chuckle
when I think of the whacky shit a buddy of mine and myself used to do to unsuspecting store employees, customers and
innocent bystanders when we were teenagers. I'd better not email you details of the incidents, even though it's been at
least 28 years since most of them occurred because I don't know who all can read this shit.
I will say, however, that if a prankster has a particular convenience store for targeting and the store has sliding glass
doors they leave open on hot days (not many stores left like that I know) several well aimed jumbo sized firework rockets
through the open doors will make everyone inside hit the deck pronto. I stick to more mundane things nowadays, like
writing whacky crap for the web. Check out my channel at http://clix.net/clix/dooleys if you're interested.
Later
Dinosaur Dooley
------------
Dear PLA:
This is so cool! I've found stuff here that isn't anywhere else on the Net! The instructions are also more in-depth
than the ones on other sites, so even an idiot like me can figure it out. By the way, I called Netcom for a free disk and they
said their disks were only available with payment for the first month.
Brian
Chambersurg, PA
------------
Dear PLA:
Hey RBCP, awhile back my comp was on the fritz and I only had a few text files for inspiration. One was by you about
the cordless phone fun you had with a neighbor in Illinois. That kept my spirits up till I got back online.
Thanx!
iamone
------------
Dear PLA:
You guys kick ass!! After reading the revenge issue I canceled all of my principal's credit cards & various other things
but I also tormented Walmart so much over the intercom system (extension 13) that they changed it to auto dial
exstensions so that I couldn't get on them anymore.
-Atomic Punk
------------
Dear PLA:
I've found a new way to block 800 ANI. It is called Net2Phone and allows people to place calls using a piece software
which connects to IDT's (the company offering Net2Phone) servers and routes the call from their fones in New Jersey to
wherever you want to call.
Here is how they describe it, "Net2Phone enables Internet users with sound equipped PCs to initiate calls from their
computers and transmit them over the Internet to IDT's phone switches. The switches then convert the signal from the
'packet switch network' Internet environment to the 'circuit switch network' telephone environment. And then to its' final
destination - any ordinary telephone. The result is real-time uninterrupted voice communication between the two calling
parties."
This service is offered for free on 800 and 888 numbers. If you want to call regular numbers it cost's extra.
Unfortunately, after you call the number, you cannot send tones and it is too staticky to use a tone dialer. Grab a copy at
http://www.net2phone.com.
Keystroke - prenzo@soho.ios.com
------------
Dear PLA:
Have you read the latest/last issue of Phrack? Well I have and discovered that Erik B will no longer be publishing
Phrack does that mean he won't publish PLA either? Please say it ain't so!
[It's true that erikb won't be writing PLA anymore but fortunately an even better editor has decided to take the reigns.
Your new editors are Emmanuel Goldstien and Chris Tomkinson. I might still write an occasional article, though. For
those who read 2600, don't worry - PBX Phreak will be taking over as head editor there. Thanks for your concern.]
------------
Dear PLA:
You're pretty damn funny. I'm gonna drive out there this summer just to harass you.
Lupus Yonderboy
Henderson, KY
----------
Hey RBCP,
Still got those annoying neighbors? Here's my personally guaranteed method of Cactusing them. Next time they piss
you off, wait for the newspaper courier to throw their paper into their yard. Right after the courier leaves, sneak over and
steal your neighbors newspaper. Replace it with a neatly rolled and rubber banded newspaper from last week. Do this for
about a week. They'll get pissed becuase they will be paying for a paper they didn't get. You'll get a free paper out of the
deal and can get rid of wasted paper. (Great Recycling program). Even an added bonus if the newspaper guy has been a
real pain in the ass lately, he'll probably get chewed out by his boss!
After stealing their paper for a week, try canceling their paper service. Or if they come home from work late, steal
their paper and cut out all the really interesting articles, then roll it back up and leave in their front yard. You'll be
surprised how many people are newspaper dependent!
Peace OOoouutttTTT....
N-TREEG
------------
Dear PLA:
I don't know if you are in to getting soda out of machines or not, but I'll send my idea anyway. I've found that, with a
friend to hold up the trap door where soda comes out, you can stick your arm inside a pepsi machine and pull soda out.
This is for 20oz. bottle dispensers. On can machines, you need more time and a secluded place. You probably will need to
break the plastic cover just above the slot where soda comes out. Once this is off, you will see a bar held in place by a pin.
This bar stops the door from coming up too far.
Just use some pliers and pull the pin off, Then slide the bar out and you can stick your arm inside and get free soda.
Schools with machines in the locker room are the best place to do this. You can also use a broomstick to accomplish the
same thing if you can't get your arm inside the machine.
------------
Dear PLA:
Hi. I'm the co-founder of the PLA Bay Area Division (I like to call it PLA-BAD) here in California. I went to Radio
Shack one day about a week ago to buy a tone dialer (gee, I wonder why?). They were out of tone dialers, but the idiot
employee who was working at the time (his name was David) told me I could pay for it now and come back in a couple
days to get it when they got their new shipment in. He told me he would remember me. I gave him my money, he gave me
a receipt, and I went home.
Two days later, I went back to pick up my tone dialer. David wasn't working, so I showed my receipt to some other
employee and he gave me a tone dialer. I left. A few minutes later, I realized that I forgot to buy batteries. I went back, and
guess what--David was working!
He looked at me, said "Oh, I remember you!" and gave me another tone dialer.The guy who gave me the first one was
nowhere in sight. So I got two tone dialers for the price of one. Oh, and the phone number for the Radio Shack where this
happened is 408-746-0809. The store is located in Sunnyvale, CA.
DarkCactus (darkcactus@hotmail.com)
------------
Dear PLA:
As of June the US Postal Service (sadly) is now sending out confirmation on address changes and forwards. Thought
you might like to know (if you don't already) cuz that affects your revenge document.
------------
Dear PLA:
Hey, me and Hormone were messing around and we found this new way to make free long distance, and thought you
might want to include it in in a future issue. We called up the Bon (department store), and we got transfered to the Tiger
Shop (they sell clothes there or something), we talked to some sales Rep named Tracy and i pretended to be from security,
and said that we were doing a routine check to see if the employee's knew the info they were supposed to. We got her name
and her employee number.. Then we called back, talked to the Bon opeartor, and Hormone said he was Tracy from
extension 6170 (The tiger shop) and that he needed an outside line. She asked for his employee number, and then the
number we wanted to dial. .. he gave him Disneyland security, and the call went through... They must deduct whatever the
charges are from that person's pay roll or something.. Hormone also hasn't hit puberty yet, so he can pose as a girl pretty
good :) ..Otherwise you would have to search around until you found a guy working there.
pISer
[Wow, Hormone is going to be thrilled to have that announced to the whole world. Thanks for the ideas!]
-----------And yet another issue of PLA comes to an end. The next issue shouldn't be quite so delayed as the last one but you
never know. PLA's Main Headquarters (i.e. Me) will be relocating somewhere east of California & west of Georgia by the
next issue so be on the lookout for the new address if you're planning on sending a pipebomb to me or anything. Until
then, check out the following really neat-o electronic 'zines:
FLaK - http://www.peak.org/~bueno/flak/
Prohibited Data Processing - http://www.peak.org/~bueno/prohibited/
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
FTP.INTERCONNECT.NET - pub/personal/pla
FTP.SPIFF.NET - /pub/users/apok0lyp/pla
bueno@peak.org - RedBoxChiliPepper
roy@icsi.interconnect.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@i1.net - Apok0lyps
http://www.apci.net/~eightbal/ - Eight Ball's PLA Corner Pocket
http://www.pancreas.com/libs/pla.htm - THe FLoaTinG PanCReaS BBS
http://peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Phone Losers of America Homepage
http://www.spiff.net/~apok0lyp/index.html - PLA, Manson, Anime
http://www.compumedia.com/~jnoonan/pla - Delirium's Original PLA Web Page
Issue #042
Released on December 10, 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction - p39
Geraldo Show Transcript - p102
Where's Dino? - p168
7-Eleven Halloween Terrorism - p196
Bus Boredom - p394
CuervoCon Announcement - p416
Letters - p523
"Is your life still based around being a pain in the ass?"-Chris Tomkinson
Wow, a whole six issues in one year. I'm really starting to slack off. That's pretty lousy compared to the previous
year's thirty-six issues. Maybe I'll continue the trend and release about two issues in 1997.
Nothing exciting is happening in PLA Land. El_jefe, apok0lyps and z3nsless loaded up their gear and moved to
Corpus Christi, Texas to mingle with the dead jelly fish and drunken mexicans at 7-Eleven. Me & Colleen & Emily have
relocated to Celina, Ohio just in time for the -172 degree winter. The police seem to have given up finding those kids in the
boatyard.
The time is almost here for the newest edition of the Phone Loser's quarterly phone directory so submit your new
phone numbers today. Since people only like to submit numbers for the loser list, I've thought up a nifty new requirementif you want to submit a loser, you also gotta submit two pay phone numbers for each loser. There, that'll teach you people.
All numbers are verified so just try to pull a fast one on me. I hope you all hate this issue and quit reading PLA forever. RedBoxChiliPepper
Transcript of Geraldo Show
What follows is a transcript from the June 14, 1996 Geraldo show on computer hackers that I taped and typed out a
transcript of it. Since nobody would buy the transcripts for $19.95 plus shipping and handling from me, I decided to print
it up here in PLA for free. So if you missed the actual show, read on...
[Theme song plays & Geraldo runs out around the audience. Applause.]
GERALDO (to the audience): Do you know who can access a computer to find out how much is in your checking
account? How much you owe on your credit card? Where you shop? Who you've called on your telephone? Our guests
today are going to tell you just how easy it is and make you think twice before using your credit card or making a phone
call.
GERALDO (turns to introduce guests): This is Tsumushima Shumora, (stutters) no, I mean Tmususoto
Shimora...I...(laughs). How DO you pronounce your name?
SHIMORA: I'm not really sure.
GERALDO: Well, Shimora is the author of the best selling book, Takedown, an autobiography which details
Shimora's relationships, work life as a computer security expert, ski trips, favorite coffee shops and in the last couple
chapters, the pursuit and capture of world-famous computer hacker, Kevin Mitnick.
[applause]
GERALDO: Mr. Shimora, what possessed you to write this book and why do you believe the world is interested in
your social life?
SHIMORA: Well, actually it's a- (gets inturrupted by Geraldo)
GERALDO: Whatever. (introducing second guest) And here we have famous mid-western computer hacker, Phillip,
who goes by the aliases Lax Vaxen & Mr. Hack and heads one of the more elite underground groups in the United States
known as the NOC Hackers. Phillip is going to demonstrate just how simple it is to aquire information that most of you
consider to be private.
[close up of Phillip typing away on a computer terminal. Camera goes in on screen and you can see Phillip on IRC
getting flooded off by half the people in #hack.]
GERALDO: What are you up to right now, Phillip?
PHILLIP: Well, I've accessed a highly secret system on the information superhighway that allows computer hackers
to talk to each other. There's a problem, though, because I keep losing my connection.
GERALDO: And what exactly do you talk about once you've accessed this computer?
PHILLIP: Oh, you know...how to break into other systems and how to hack boards and make red boxes and blow
things up and stuff like that.
GERALDO: Red boxes?
PHILLIP: Yeah, it's a little device that makes secret tones to fool pay phones into thinking you've put in money. (Pulls
a red box out of the front of his pants and holds it up for the audience to see.)
GERALDO: Could we hear the tones that this box makes?
PHILLIP: Well, it doesn't work right now because I haven't figured out how to solder the new illegal crystal in and I
keep melting the circuit boards but when I finally get it, I'll be able to make free calls.
GERALDO: That's, uh, interesting. Our next guest, who we'll call Jim, wishes to remain anonymous. He says that
computer hackers have made a mess of his life after he engaged in a war on a local computer service with hackers.
[camera focuses in on a man wearing a hat, dark glasses and panty hose over his face.]
"JIM": They ruined everything I had. They called my house day and night, they called the hotel I worked at
constantly, they re-programmed the gas pump at 7-Eleven to dispense sugar instead of gasoline which ruined my car, they
hacked into the city's computer and ordered them to come to my house and take my rotweiler away and have him put to
sleep.
GERALDO: And the police could do nothing?
JIM: No, when I called the police, they looked at my name on their computers which told them I was wanted in 36
states for assault with a deadly penis. I'm still on probation for that and I'm not even responsible.
GERALDO: (gets that dramatic look on his face) Not even responsible. After we come back, you'll meet FBI agent
Mike Buford who'll tell you what's being done to put a stop to this kind of electronic terrorism on the information
superhighway.
[commercial break]
GERALDO: Today we're discussing computer hackers on the information highway and how they affect your life. This
is FBI agent Mike Buford who's been with the agency for 12 years now in the computer crime division. Mike, how big of a
problem is this and what's being done to counter-attack these criminals?
MIKE: Well, Geraldo, I can't really say anything about that because it's a secret.
GERALDO: Then why are you on this show?
MIKE: Well, me and my wife were planning on taking a vacation out this way and when you offered to fly me out for
free, how could I resist?
GERALDO: (gets a pale look on his face) ...Let's take a few questions from the audience. (runs out into the audience
and hands the microphone to a lady)
LADY: Yes, my question is for Phillip...By watching you type there, I noticed that my 10-year-old daughter types
faster than you. Does this make you feel stupid and are you equally slow in other aspects of life?
PHILLIP: Hey, shut up. [laughter from audience]
GERALDO: (runs over to a man with greasy hair and a fishing cap.) Yes, how about you, sir?
MAN: My question is for "Jim" - yeah, did they have a cellyalur phone or caller I.D? Because the little cocksuckers
that were on my fuckin' cordless phone were sitting in a goddamn van across from my fuckin' house and they were using
computers and cellyalur phones to tap my number.
JIM: (breaks down crying) Yes! It was the cellular operator that called us for over a month straight! (sobbing)
Eventually we knew all of the cellular operators by name. It was horrible. I'm not sure about the caller I.D., though.
MAN: Yeah, well all these little jackoffs could do was play their stupid fucking games and I said, hey, come down here
and I'll give you a hundred dollars but they never showed up.
JIM: Sir, not to be rude or anything, but exactly what year of grade school did you drop out of?
MAN: Yeah, like your the first fuckin' person to say that to me.
SHIMORA: Geraldo, I'd just like the audience to know that me and my girlfriend did eventually get back together and
we're doing great now and we plan to get married in about two years.
GERALDO: Who cares, Shimora? (agreement from audience)
GERALDO: Phillip, do you ever feel that you're intruding on people's privacy when you hack into a system and
retrieve all of their personal information.
PHILLIP: No, I think what I do is protected by the 1st amdendment in the Declaration of Independence, and besides,
I can't always get all of their personal information because they might not be listed in the phone book and my CD-ROM
phone books only give out their name, address and phone number. Then I have to call the people a social engineer their
credit cards and stuff out of them.
GERALDO: And this works?
PHILLIP: Not yet, but I'm getting real close.
GERALDO: Phillip, I want you to pull up my personal credit history as an example of just how easy it is for a high
school kid to infiltrate today's supposedly secure system.
PHILLIP: Okay, I'll get right on it.
GERALDO: We've gotta take a break now. When we return, you'll meet AT&T spokesman, John Moro. After this.
[commercial break]
GERALDO: We're here with John Moro, a spokesman for AT&T who claims their security is just fine. John, what's
AT&T's yearly loss due to fraud by hackers?
JOHN: Oh, I'd say around $893 billion or so. Down two percent since last year. See, people expect a convenient
phone system that's totally secure and impenetrable to anything and that's just not possible these days with such rapidly
advancing technology. No matter how secure we make the system, there's gonna be holes in it.
GERALDO: John, are you really a spokesman for AT&T?
JOHN: ...Well, no, actually I'm just the night janitor over at the main office. See, they're a little short-handed this
week and they asked me to fill in for John. My name's actually Ed. Hell, last week I was mopping with one hand and
answering directory assisstance calls with the other. The hours are good, though.
GERALDO: I see, well you're what I'd consider an inside source, then. What do you see happening there? Do you
think the phone company takes the proper precautions to protect against hackers?
ED: Well, Geraldo, no I don't and I say this mostly because I'm pissed at Robert because he keeps putting his chewed
gum underneath his desk and it's a sumbitch to scrape off. Other than that I'd say they're secure.
GERALDO: Ed, you're not operating on all six cylinders, are you? ...(turns to Phillip) How's my credit history coming
along, Phillip?
PHILLIP: It's no good, you're unlisted.
GERALDO: Unlisted? I thought you hackers were supposed to be able to get unlisted privelidged proprietary
information. Why can't you get my credit report? Do you even have my phone number yet?
PHILLIP: Just give me some time! I don't work well under pressure.
GERALDO: (covers the microphone and mutters something to Phillip.)
PHILLIP: Hey, fuck you! I'm not a hacker, okay?!?! I'm nothing but a lame wanna-be anarchist! I admit it, alright!
Here, take your computer and shove it up your nose! (Phillip picks up the monitor and throws it at Geraldo's face,
probably breaking his nose.)
The rest of the show was nothing but a test pattern so I can only assume that the cable company was having problems
or something. It was storming outside.
Where's Dino ?
The most common question I've been asked over the past couple of years is what ever happened to Dino Allsman? I
get tons of mail from people asking me for his phone number and/or address and asking if it was really a true story. So
here's the latest scoop on Dino:
While living in Corpus Christi, I called el_jefe and we decided to call Dino Allsman but both of us had lost his phone
number. So we called his wife, Shana's, work and told the person there that I was Shana's dad and it's an emergency that I
get her phone number. The stupid blonde working there says, "Sure!" and gives me the number. We tell her how incredibly
stupid she is and hang up.
Dino wasn't quite as agressive as we remembered him. Maybe we just wore him out or something. We called him up
and started our usual lame barrage of "Roy! Roy!" and "How's the cordless phone, Dean-o," etc. and he didn't spend much
time with us, just called us motherfucking cocksuckers a few times and slammed down the phone. Stupidly, I didn't tape
any of it.
That was the end of that. A few months later when we left Corpus and visited East Alton again, I did alot of cordless
listening hoping to once again hear Dino and perhaps even create a sequel to the story, but he never came on. I did hear
some little kids making prank calls, though, which was kind of funny.
A year passed and once again we stopped by East Alton on our way to Ohio. On the very last day we were there, I
turned on my scanner and guess who I heard? Shana! And what was better is that she called Dino and they had a fight. I
guess Dino was at a drinkin' buddy's house or something and Shana called him to yell at him because he always spends all
their money by cashing checks at Schnucks. She asked what the hell he wrote a check for $15 for and he claimed it was for
a gallon of anti-freeze. (About $3.99 for most people.)
The argument climaxed and right around the end Shana says, "Dino, I need to know where you and me stand...I need
you to meet me half-way here... ........Dino?..." And he replies (and I swear I'm not making this up), "Hold on, I gotta find
my cigarettes." The conversation ended abruptly shortly after that.
Not much more news since then. We left town that day and we'll probably check in on him again. Someone should
open an ISP across the street from Dino, perhaps in the church, then set up a RealAudio stream of all cordless phone
activity in that area. That would rule. Anyone who does that get's a free PLA t-shirt.
Dino sound clips are now available for you to listen to by pointing your browser at
http://www.bright.net/~bac/heardino.html or you can follow the link from PLA's main page. Listen to Dino calls us
jackoffs, hear him threaten us with his 12 guage, cower in fear as he dials the authorities on us.
7-Eleven Halloween Terrorism - by Dairy Queen
Sweet Jesus, did I ever have a good Halloween. It all started off with me and my friend, Peter, decideing to bust into
my church and make prank calls from there. (Don't think that I'm a bad guy breaking into a church, my Dad is a minister
and I know the secrets on how to get in.) While we were harrassing our fellow St. Louisans, Peter remembered that he was
supposed to call some girl he knows that works up at 7-11. But when he called the girl did not answer the phone but rather
a mean sounding fellow named Eddie. He would not put the girl on and he told us to fuck off. This is rude because we had
yet to try any shit on him. But now that he's been established as a prick-tease we must hurt him. So I remembered your
little idea on acting like you're going to rob them. So I tried it, and he threatened my life. He talked like Robert DeNiro, I
was pictuing some tough older Italian Man. After this conversation is when I called back and decided to stray from your
plan and wing it on my own:
EDDIE: 7-11, What?
JARED: That was rude, can I speak with your manager?
EDDIE: No he aint here.
JARED: How do you sleep at night knowing what you do to those little girls, do you realize what their lives will be like
for the rest of there lives?
EDDIE: What little girls, what the fuck are you talking about?
JARED: Didn't you think that maybe one of those little girls has a brother?
EDDIE: I didn't do jack shit, stop calling me mofo. or I'll kick your ass.
JARED: Over the phone?
EDDIE: I get off at ten you meet me outside if you have some kinda problem with me.
JARED: I'm gonna bring you down mother fucker, Im gonna rip off your head and piss in the stump, I'll fuck your
mother so hard that you'll be out of a job.
It went on like this for 20minutes. I got so into it that I actually thought that I was going to kill this man. I think he
was crying by the end. The conversation ended with me yelling "Youre going down like your sister at a frat party." And he
hung up.
By this time it was about 9:15, Peter's got some strict parents so I had to get him back home. On the way we decide to
stop off at the 7-11 at Olive and Fee-Fee, to get a look at Edie.
In the parking lot there were four police cars, and a few of my friends' vans. My friend tells me that his friend Edie
who works there was being harassed, and that he's afraid to walk home.
Peter and I say bye to our friend and continue into the store. There we find a tall skinny black man, real sickly lookin,
with skelotone make-up that had run down from his eyes. He was crying. But he had stopped now and he was bragging to
this girl we know, "Mother Fucker must have a death wish threantin my death."
Peter says, "You mean 'life', threatining your life, or a death threat."
Peter has a lot of Balls (13, in fact)
He told his side of the story to us, I was about to throw up out of fear of the cops outside, and at how he was ruining
my story. So Peter shook his hand and we left. The next day at school Everyone was talking about boy Eddie and how
someone wants him dead.
I later found out that the story did not end there. As it turns out Eddie had some of his friends hanging out in the
back room smoking some pot earlier in the evening. They were apparently sloppy and left some roaches on the bathroom
sink. Well, one of the many cops that I puppeteered into going to 7-Eleven that evening found the leftovers. Eddie now
works at Venture. This is not the end.
Things to do While Riding on the Bus - by Interphace & Kingpin
We all ride or at one time rode a school or other bus. Most of these have been dirty, smelly, and hazardous. So what to
do about this? Well, if you hate the driver and the kid behind you is the biggest asshole alive, or maybe you're just bored,
then this file is for you. If you like riding the bus, stop reading this and slap yourself across the face, you queer! Now, onto
the dirty stuff.
THINGS TO THROW OUT THE WINDOW
If its a really hot day and everyone behind you has their windows open you can easily make their ride into a living
hell. My favorite thing to do is to take wonderful Sunny Delight and, when its windy, pour it out of the side of the bus.It
gets on the lower windows and your busmates! This stuff never comes off and the more you wet it down, the more of a
stain it becomes. It dosen't do the windows too much good either. If you're really daring, replace Sunny D with colored
whiteout. Then watch the screams as it gets in their hair, mouth, eyes, etc....
When you stop and there are cars next to you (also stopped) there are alot of fun ways you can be a little bastard.
Take some honey (or other sticky substitute) and pour it on their windsheild. When they wonder what it is, and turn on
the wipers, all hell breaks lose. It smears and they can't see! (If you've poured enough on) They'll probably drive anyway,
not knowing that they just drove over a dog, cat and senior citizen.
Fill up a powerful squirt gun (a super soaker XP 257 sprays like a hose and kicks ass if you can smuggle it on the bus)
with ketchup or mustard or other condement. Find some poor sap with a business suit and his/her car window down and
yell, "Hey, Mr/Mrs! Bark like a dog and sqawk like a chicken or I'll make it look like your a very messy eater!" If he's
smart, he'll do it. If he trys to put up his window, let that XP rip. This way is even better cause it gets on his window and
him. Here's another catch. After he's done sqawking, spray him anyway. This puts him in a very bad mood for the rest of
the work day.
Next, go to your local store and buy fake vomit, gak, slime, etc, roll them up into little balls and when the cars are
zooming past you in the opposite direction, fling them right out in front of you and let the other car catch them. This
should make them screw up their driving and go off the side of the road, into the later half of your bus, or (even better)
crash into your school.
Have any leftover food? Throw that have bitten apple at the old lady crossing the street, that pudding cup on your
principal's head, a bannana right in front of that happy-go-lucky jogger (this one takes real skill), and watch as they chase
after you in vain with their cane, pencil, headphones, etc..
NIFTY WAYS TO MESS WITH PEOPLE'S HEADS
If you see a biker who isn't carrying a shotgun (rare) ,yell "Hey buddie! There's a HUGE wasp on your head, and it
looks pretty damn mad!!" He will frantically try to swat the imaginary bug while trying to keep control of the bike. This is
hilarious until he crashes into your bus and your bus driver mentally flips, then flips the bus.
Write signs like "There's a BOMB on our bus and THAT'S why we're going so slow!" or "This bus driver takes us to a
cabin in the mountains and BEATS us!" This will surely get paranoid loyal citizens to run to the nearest pay phone to box
a call to get you and your abusive bus driver some help.
Rapidly lick the windows and make horny gestures to the poor people behind you. This is great for older people.
Just stare at the people behind you. They can't help but look back every now and then to see if your still staring. It
drives them nuts.
Like Beavis & Butthead did, moon the other drivers by sticking your ass in the window and watch them hurl.
Ask all truck drivers to pull the horn. One time we did this and our driver almost drove of the side of the road.
Yell to some dude on the sidewalk or in a vehicle, "Hi Uncle Ron! Hows Aunt Pattie? Does she still drink out of the
toilet? Did you ever get that hamster out of your ass??" If they have name tags, even better.
Yell to a stupid schmuck who bought that god-awful McDonalds coffee or other breakfast food, "Ya, Ah youst ta work
at Mceedees! They put all sorts o hair in their coffee. They also put spider eggs in their cinnamon rolls and kitty liter in
their hash browns!! Some guy even found a finger in one o dem breakfast burritos..." No matter how hungary they are,
they won't be able to eat another bite and they'll put some hair in their coffee so they can sue Mc's.
SURE-FIRE WAYS TO GET YOURSELF KILLED
Yell at the biker with a shotgun.
Find some gang members who are sitting there loading up some guns and yell, "Bamm........Ya g! You ain't no homie
from the hood!! Oh ya, AND I DID YOUR MOMA!!" Keep this up until they spray your bus with an uzi.
Find some hics in a 4x4 truck and yell, "Ya..uh..You..uh..Yoo stuphid bastard!! That peice oh shit is nothin compared
to what ah got!! Why don't you test my sayin and we'll RAM!" He'll ram your bus, hopefully, and either your bus will
withstand it and you can then get him to do it again, or you'll both cause a major traffic jam, and a few extra
deaths/injuries.
You know that pesky emergency door in the back? Well, when you've beaten the alarm, just wait till you're stopped,
and jump out. Or you can jump while the bus is moving and that semi is behind you, if you don't feel you have alot to live
for. Another thing is to open it up and throw other students out. (Great for getting rid of enemies)
THINGS TO DO TO THE BUS DRIVER
Get everyone to sing, "Its a small world after all" over and over till your bus driver snaps, screams about everything
bad in his/her life, and put the pedal to the medal and drive off the road and into your local movie theater thats playing
Little white and the 7 dwarfs. Run up to the penthouse floor!! Rated XXX!
If the driver has a little cup handy to keep water, pepsi, exlax, etc.. Pour hard liqour into this. When they come come
to your stop she'll be like "AH AIN'T PULLIN THIS BUS OVER!!" (swig,swig) "WE'RE GOING TA TEXAS TO SEE PAPPY
AND MOMMA!!" This is also hilarious until you realize she won't make it to texas without crashing through a few
biuldings. If your lucky, she'll pass out and you can drive.
When there is a Semi behind you and your on the freeway, yell to the bus driver "Hey OH MY GOD!! THERE IS A
LITTLE BOY/GIRL/BABY/PUPPY/(other) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD DEAD AHEAD! STOP THE BUS!! QUICK!"
Either she'll stop and the semi will propell us to flip, go on, or if the bus is sideways when she tries to miss the invisible
infant, it will seperate us in half. (COOL) Or she won't stop. In this case, make two large thumping noises and watch her
eyes get real big, and then she'll open the door and jump out, sacrificing herself for her bad, bad deed.
Take a bunch of marbles and just dump them on the floor. They should travel all the way up to the bus drivers seat.
This will create a neat effect. She either won't be able to step on the brakes or will just totally freak and drive into some
elderly home.
By now you should have either been banned from all the buses or killed in an accident. Hope your not the latter and
you enjoyed this peice of crap file..
This file is for humor purposes only. Blah Blah Blah. I really don't expect you to open the back door and fling people
out of it. But that makes your day, be my guest.
CuervoCon Announcement
CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96
Tengo que hable con mi abogado.
What : A computer/telephony/security conference. (show this part to your boss.)
Where: Fort Brown Hotel, Brownsville Texas.
When : 28 & 29 December, 1996
Who : The usual gang of cretins.
Why : It's winter, and it is 12 degrees outside. The dumpsters are frozen shut, and there are icicles on the payphones.
Brownsville is at the Southern-most tip of Texas, right up against...Mexico. Yes, Mexico, land of cheap cerveza, four-dollar
strippers, and liberal drinking laws. Mexico, where you too can own your very own Federal law enforcement official for a
fistful of pesos.
Speakers
Anybody wishing to speak at CuervoCon should send e-mail to the address at the bottom of this announcement.
Currently the list includes:
u4ea (by teleconfrence)
Major
Caffiend (About her Breasts)
Events
"How Much Can You Drink?"
"Fool The Lamer"
"Hack The Stripper"
"Hack The Web Server"
"sk00l"
"Ouija Board Hacking"
...as well as a variety of Technical Presentations.
General Information
The Fort Brown Hotel will have available to us 125 rooms at the holiday in @$55 a room, and 75 rooms at the ramada
for $45 each. The Fort Brown was previously an actual fort when it was closed down by uncle sam. It became one large
hotel until it was recently purchased and split into the Holiday Inn and the Ramada. The Fort Brown was chosen because
it is across the street from the bridge to Mexico. You can call the Fort Brown Ramada at: 210-541-2921 You can call the
Fort Brown Holiday Inn at: 210-546-2201 Call for reservations, make sure to tell them you're with CuervoCon.
The con room or as the hotel named it, almost seems like for us, The "fortress room" is ours on Satruday until 4pm,
and all day Sun. If there is a problem with regards to the 4pm Saturday issue, they will set us up at the convention center
free of charge , but that is away from the hotel, so we are hoping there after 4pm crap will clear up and let us in. We are
going to get it opened on Friday night so we can hang around in it.
Brownsville is right on the Mexican border, adjacent to the Mexican town Matamoris. The Gulf of Mexico is 25 miles
away. Brownsville has a population just over 100,000. The police force includes 175 officers, and a wide variety of federal
law enforcement agencies have a strong presence there as well. The climate is semi-tropical, and the RBOC is
SouthWestern Bell.
Matamoris is the other half of brownsville. Home of over 1/2 a million people, it is known since the early 1900's as a
pit of sin. The federale's are not to be fucked with and it is serviced by TelMex. It is known for it's bars, strip clubs and
Mexican food. Matamoros also has an airport in case you live in Mexico and care to go, via Aeromexico.
Directions:
In Texas Driving - Go anyway you can to get to US 77 South. Take 77 South till it ends in Brownsville. From there you
will turn right on International. Proceed all the way down international, right before the bridge, turn left. The Fort Brown
will be on the left.
For those flying in - We are going to try to have a shuttle going. Also just tell the cab driver, Fort Brown.
Celebrity Endorsements
Here's what last years participants had to say about CuervoCon:
"I attended the CuervoCon 95. I found many people there who, fearing a sunburn, wanted to buy my t-shirts!" -ErikB
"I tried to attend, but was thwarted by "No Admittance to The Public" sign. I feel as though I missed the event of the
year." - The Public
"mmmm...look at all the little Mexican boys..." -Netta Gilboa
"mmmm...look at all the little Mexican boys..." -Emmanuel Goldstein
"Wow! CuervoCon 95 was more fun that spilling my guts to the feds!" -Panther Modern
"CuervoCon is our favorite annual event. We know we can give security a day of rest, because you people are all too
drunk to give us any trouble..." - AT&T
"No moleste, por favor." - TeleMex
Don't miss it!
Have you ever hacked a machine in your hometown from a foreign country?
Have you ever had to convert dollars into pesos to get your bribe right?
Have you ever spent time in a foreign prison, where your "rights as an American" just don't apply?
Have you ever been taken down for soemthing that wasn't even illegal half an hour ago?
YOU WILL! And the con that will bring it to you?
CUERVOCON 96
CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96 CUERVOCON 96
brought to you by
- S.o.B. - TNo - PLA - Phrack - The Guild - F.U.C.K. - SotMESC -
Contact Information
info@cuervocon.org
www.cuervocon.org - Look here for updates.
Voice mail system coming up soon.
Letters
Ever wanted to bug the HELL out of sombody ? Intel has made this oh so easy. In a few steps you'll be on your way to
deliberately pissing sombody off.
1. Dial 1-800-321-4044
2. Press 2 (It will start ringing)
3. Wait for intel sound and press 2
4. Wait for beep, Press 2
5. Wait for beep, Press 2
6. Enter number for whom you wish to have them fax AREA CODE FIRST then press 1
7. Wait for beep. Press 3
8. Hang up and Intel will start calling this person 3 times at 3 min intervials
The Red Boxer
pme96@juno.com
[This kind of reminds me of the time I used U.S.West's faxback service and I couldn't get my fax software to work
right and U.S.West wouldn't stop until I successfully received it. I spent two hours trying to get a fax just so my phone
would stop ringing. You're right, a faxback number is the perfect tool for harassment and I think I'll try to put together a
rather large list of them in the next quarterly phone directory. Everyone, find a faxback number and e-mail it to me NOW.]
------------
hey... i got some cool #'s for the PLA directory. My friend and I read your issue about taking over the Fred Myers
store. Well, we went to Lowe's (a hardware store) and noticed a fone there. we turned over the little sheet that gives the ext
#'s and it had PAGING on there. ususally you just press PAGE on the fone, but this wont work from an outside fone
obviously. so you ask for ext. 89 and sometimes they'll connect you. Most of the time though, they'll tell you they only have
3 digit exts. To get around this, you just say something like the front desk told me this is the ext. i needed to get. They'll
usually connect you then. or ask for 890.
one time the guy connected me to security! Oh no! He asked what I was trying to do. I said "get ext. 89" he replied
"that's our paging system" so i said in a deep ,suspicious voice. "exactly" well i guess he hung up on me or something. the #
is (704) 543 5600 . One good thing about this is that the intercom is REAL loud. you can here it from across the parking
lot. it SO loud we can almost hear it from across the school.
Burke F.
-----------Waddap Redbox...
Well after viewing your list of *interesting* operator comments, I thought I'd add some stuff that I've heard. These
all happened in New York City while attending the 2600 meeting there, go figure...
"Aww come on kid, you can do better than that!"
"Sir, you might try putting in real coins next time."
"Those tones seem a little off, you might want to tune your box."
"Nynex supervisor. Sir, if you want to make a call, you should really try and stop ripping us off."
Happily hacking in NJ,
Phear
------------
RBCP,
On pla 42 could you put a note on it somewhere to send all virii, harassing letter's and big files to take up hard drive
to walters@tcoe.trinity.k12.ca.us. Oh ya and tell the people to include the message "Send a picture of yourself to Jeff!". I
just love to piss her off!
Thanks,
Jeff
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
etext.archive.umich.edu - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
ftp.fc.net - pub/defcon/PLA
bueno@peak.org - RedBoxChiliPepper
roy@icsi.interconnect.net - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@i1.net - Apok0lyps
http://peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Phone Losers of America Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/timessquare/3237/pla.html - Virgina PLA
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/3411/ - Bay Area PLA
http://homepage.macomb.com/~syfert/pla/ - Phone Losers of Illinois
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/5937/- Phone Losers of Wisconsin
http://www.pancreas.com/libs/pla.htm - THe FLoaTinG PanCReaS BBS
Issue #043
Released on January 18, 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Making Fake IDs - roy
Cordless Phones...again - roy
Phone Losers of America Headline News - roy
Letters - roy
Crap - roy
"Freedom is just seven digits away." - Weird Al Yankovic
You may have noticed the web address change for the PLA page only lasted a week and we're back to peak.org again.
This is due to bright.net's apparent 150 baud web connection. Probably by next issue we'll be settled into a new web
location. Aw, who am I trying to kid? I'll probably never keep the same web address for more than a year. PLA e-mail can
now be directed to bac@bright.net or bueno@peak.org.
Two sources have confirmed for me that for some odd reason, Send-A-Song is now requesting a five digit zip code
along with your creidt card number when you place an order with them. Can't imagine why. Stay tuned next issue when I
explain step-by-step how to defeat this security measure. Well, not really, I just wanted to piss them off by suggesting I'd
do such a horrid thing.
Strangely enough, I got some interesting spam-mail from Send-A-Song the other day, advertising their services and
listing their web page address. Sadly, you're not able to order songs directly from their web page but there is a huge list of
the current songs they offer. Very nice for someone who has matching credit card numbers and zip codes. (Their own, of
course.)
Tired of sending the same old flowers, candy, cards and other typical gifts?
For Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day, Father's Day, apologies, peace-offerings, friendship or
just to tell someone you care ...why not SEND-A-SONG?
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Mastering The Art of False Identification
Every few weeks I get mail from somebody asking how to make a new identity for themselves. In most cases it's some
punk kid wanting to buy alcohol for him and his friends and other times someone wants to be able to get a video card
under a fake name to build up their Sega games collection.
And in two really interesting cases, I helped people escape their identities to get away from abusive siblings. The first
was a guy asking how to help his two younger cousins get away from a step-father who beat the shit out of them every
night. I never heard back from them. The second was a very abused wife wanting to get away from her husband. I went
step by step with her through the whole thing and assume she made it.
Anyway, I just want turn all of this into a text file so when people ask me I can tell them to go read PLA043 and leave
me the hell alone. You can use this information however you want. Get free videos, library books, jobs, lives, beer,
anything you want or just take over an innocent person's life. It's up to you. I've done all of the above, so trust me, this
stuff works.
Choosing An Identity:
Before you do anything you should decide who you'd like to be. If you're going to do nothing more than run up a few
video charges or buy some beer, it really shouldn't matter and you can just make up a bunch of info, but if you're going to
assume a new name to live under or just want to pull off some really cool scams, you should put some work into it.
Try to find access to people's job applications or resumes. Most any job you work at will have people stopping in to
drop off their job applications or maybe you work in an area where you can snag all the applications/resumes you want.
Pick someone who's a little older and has built up some credit so that you can have fun ruining it.
Just make sure you get their full names, social security numbers and birth-dates. Applications usually don't have a
birthdate written on them so you'll have to call up the person and get it out of them. The best way would be to say you're
considering hiring them and you need it to start the paperwork.
Photocopied Drivers License:
This is the very first kind of fake ID I ever made and it's proven to be just about the most useful one, not to mention
cheap. It may sound rather retarded at first but I swear this works great. You need to make a few copies of your own
driver's license, then find some scissors, elmer's glue, a few toothpicks and some white-out.
Take one of the photocopies and lay it out on the table. This will be your master copy. You can probably figure out the
rest from here but I'll explain it anyway. Using your extra photocopies, cut out the letters and paste them over your master
copy, forming a completely new identity. Use the toothpicks to position the tiny pieces of paper into place so they're lined
up perfectly.
Make sure that you change everything on the license including the license number, birthdate, address and any other
numbers that you don't recognize. When you're finished, take the master copy to a photocopy machine and make a copy of
it. If it's you can see little groves around each letter you cut out, make the copy lighter. If that doesn't work, use the whiteout to touch up around the edges of the letters (on the copy you just made), then run THAT through the machine.
You can also do the exact same thing with a social security card but you're limited on the numbers and letters you can
use. If you have a steady hand, though, you can kind of fill in the blanks for the characters you don't have. Copy the
driver's license and social security card onto the same piece of paper and you're finished.
This kind of ID, as stupid as it may sound, could prove to be the most useful one you'll ever make. You can get a job
under a different name, making it easy to cheat on your taxes or get a job that you're not old enough to have. You can also
use this kind of ID to get library cards, video cards and sometimes even check cashing cards, very useful for cashing your
free AT&T checks. Just tell them that you lost your originals when your wallet was stolen but you still have this old
photocopy. Usually they won't even question it. You can NOT use this ID to buy alcohol or cigarettes and I've never
managed to open a bank account with just a photocopy.
If you own a computer, you can save a little time by printing out the new name and info on the license, line by line,
rather than doing all the cutting and pasting. Just make sure to match up the font and size as close as possible. You might
also try running your license through a scanner or faxing it to your computer so you can edit it on the screen, then print it
out.
A Second Form of ID:
Some places will say that one piece of ID just isn't going to cut it and you need something else to convince them that
you're who you say you are. Some places say that just a phone bill or a utility bill is enough, maybe an envelope that you
received a bill in.
That's easy, find an envelope from an important sounding place that has a canceled stamp on it. Now get a mailing
label and write or print your false name and address on it and slap the label over the real name on the envelope.
Flea Markets & Souvineer Shops:
If you live in or by a larger city, chances are you have access to a flea market. These are usually held in the summer
time and have booth set up for all kinds of odd things. In most of the flea markets I've been to, there's a booth set up that
does all kinds of printing services which includes making fake IDs for "entertainment purposes."
These are good quality replicas of state IDs and drivers' licenses and all they have to do to make them legal is make a
few minor, barely noticeable changes on the face of the ID, such as discoloring the state logo or state name. Something
that ordinary people won't notice. They're also not allowed to make IDs for the state they're operating in which means
you'll have to settle for the state next to yours, or maybe just make yourself from Roy, New Mexico.
The price range varies. Sometimes it'll be $10, sometimes $40 but for the quality you're getting, almost anything is
worth it. Also, call around to the souvineer shops. I've seen gone into plenty of these and seen teenagers getting IDs made
up by the store clerks. Oh yeah, these IDs will have a tiny disclaimer on the back of them saying, "not a government
document, for entertainment uses only, blah blah blah". Hardly noticable.
DMV Scams:
This is something I've never had the guts to try, but I've had a couple friends do it. One succeeded, one failed. The
scam is simple - obtain a birth certificate, social security card and some other form of ID to trick the DMV into making you
a real state-issued ID card.
The birth certificate and social security card are required and usually you need something else to back those two
documents up. A couple DMVs that I've dealt with (for legitimate purposes) let me use a utility bill as my third ID. Some
want something with a picture on it, such as a student ID card.
A friend of mine in South Carolina tried this and the lady said that the person he was trying to get an ID for already
had a driver's license in South Carolina. He acted confused so she asked him to have a seat and she'd take care of it. Then
she started making phone calls so he made his way out the door and never went there again. If you're going to do this, it's
best to pick somebody out of state, then get a state ID card, not a driver's license. This would lessen your chances of
getting busted.
Some people say this is getting riskier as the years pass. Others say it's getting easier. I know that the DMV computers
in Texas actually put your picture into the computer and it comes up when your record is accessed and I hardly think
Texas is the most advanced state out there so be careful. It's probably not worth the trouble you'll get into to even try this,
especially if you plan on doing something really bad with the ID.
Birth Certificates:
Once you have someone's full info, you might want to try and get their birth certificate. If you know which city and
state they were born in, this shouldn't be too hard. Birth Certificates are public documents and anyone can get yours for a
fee.
Contact the City Clerk in the city that your target was born in. Ask them what information you need to supply to get a
copy of your birth certificate. Usually they'll want the date of birth, FULL name, mother's madien name and the father's
name. If you don't have the information they need, ask how you would get a copy of someone else's birth certificate.
Some cities are starting to tighten up a little and expect you to send in a state ID or driver's license to get someone
else's copy. (They'll send it back with the copy.) So you're best off getting the person's information that you need. A few
phone calls to the target should get you just about everything. The price is usually under $10 and takes about 4-6 weeks to
arrive.
Social Security Cards:
Very little ID is needed to get a new copy of your social security card. Find the Social Security Administration in your
town which should be listed in the yellow pages. Usually they only require that you have a driver's license but they'll
almost always take something else instead, such as an canceled envelope with your current address on it or maybe a
college ID card. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to use a photocopied driver's license and definately wouldn't be a good
idea to show them your photocopied SS card.
When you get there you'll have to fill out a form which asks for alot of personal information about "you" such as your
mom's name, madien name, and the usual shit. Make sure you don't make anything up because they'll be comparing what
you write down to what's in their files. Of course, this is only good if you're taking over someone's identity, not making up
your own.
There will be a small fee and your new SS card will be mailed to you so have an address ready, such as a local house
who's mail is forwarded somewhere for you to pick up.
IDs on Your Computer:
With today's easily available software and hardware, making an ID on your computer has never been easier. Any kind
of form creator program will work but Aldus/Adobe Pagemaker is undoubtedly the best. If you can get a GIF of yourself,
you can even paste that into your ID document rather than physically pasting a picture onto your ID once you've printed it,
making it look all the more professional looking.
Your computer is perfect for making a College ID from another state. If you can get your hands on a real college ID,
you can copy the information from it to make it look even better. If you make the ID appear to be from a college
somewhere other than where you're pulling off your shenanigan's, you'll be better off since it's unlikely that someone will
try to say your ID is fake.
Laminators:
You can make your college ID look twice as realistic by having it laminated. You can buy a portable lamination
machine from Office Max or Office Depot and sometimes from smaller chain stores. It will usually cost under $50 and
when you're done with it, take it back for a refund. (of course)
If $50 is out of your leauge, you can buy lamination stickers which is usually an 8 1/2" x 11" clear sticker. You can cut
this to the appropriate size and make your ID card appear to be perfectly laminated although it's not as hard as real
lamination. These sheets go for only a few dollars at Wal-Mart & K-Mart.
Credit Cards:
If you've assumed the name of a person who might have good credit, it's time to build up your identity even more by
sending away for some important looking credit cards.
Go through all your old junk mail and start filling out those credit applications. Go to the mall and in every big
department store you'll find a credit application. JC Penny's, Sears, Famous Barr, Radio Shack, get them all. Most jewelry
stores have them too. You may want to even try for instant credit.
Assuming that your new identity has good credit, you'll get a few credit cards in the mail in a week or two or three.
Credit cards will make your identity look even better and if you score a Mastercard or Visa, you can go buy that new
expensive laminating machine now. Oh yeah, some video stores want your credit card number just in case you check out a
bunch of videos and decide not to bring them back. All they do is write down the number so it doesn't matter if your card
is already maxed out or not.
PO Boxes:
Once you've made one of those photocopied state IDs, you should try to get a PO Box to send your new SS cards,
credit cards, etc to. Don't feel bad if it doesn't work with just a photocopy. My success rate at the post office is about 50%
with a photocopy ID. The post office will want to know what address you're currently living at. It's best to look up someone
in the phone book that has the same last name as your identity because they usually verify what you tell them.
Libraries:
Minimal ID is usually needed for a library card. Some places have only asked me for a utility bill in my name,
something you can find digging through the trash. Once I chose a random name out of the phone book very poorly. I was
just about to score my library card and the librarian handed the information to another librarian so she could type up my
card. She began typing and all of a sudden, "Hey, you're not Mr. xxxxx. This is my next door neighbor!" "No," I replied,
"He must have the same name that I do. I'm Mr. xxxxx." "Hmmmmmm," she responds smartly, "And you live in his house
too?" "Oh, er, ah, well," I stutter, "excuse me..." and I quickly make my way to freedom. Boy, those librarians sure are
fierce.
Anyway, a library card can be very valuable. Most libraries now are all linked up via computer within certain districts.
This means you can get a library card in one city and use it in most of the surrounding cities. One district had a limit of 15
books per location that we could check out but there were about 10 locations to choose from and in the end we had
checked out 150 books total. The back of our car was dragging because of the weight.
Look for the books with titles like Frauds and Scams and How to Protect Yourself Against Ripoffs. Also look for the
private detective books. These can be very valuable in aiding you to create a new identity. Most of them list the offices in
each state to obtain public documents such as birth certificates and other useful information. And of course, steal all of the
phone company books.
The End:
Well, that's it. It wasn't the most in-depth fake ID article, but it should give you an idea of where to start. I probably
left a few things out because it's been so long since I've messed with this type of thing. Any ideas or suggestions are
welcome.
PLA's Latest Adventures With Cordless Phones
Having no cable TV, limited internet access, no friends and a car we wouldn't trust to take us around the block gives
us plenty of time to listen to cordless phone conversations. Here are some of the cooler ones that have happened lately.
We were at a friends' house (okay, well, I used to have one friend.) and I just happened to turn on the scanner when a
guy was reading off all of his personal information including his name, address, phone number and creidt card number. I
missed the name and address but that didn't matter. I wrote down his phone number. I would have written down the
credit card number but I have no use for those because that would be credit card fraud and I just don't do that kind of stuff
because it's bad and I'm not a bad person, you know? (pardon me, that was a discreet disclaimer for any feds reading this
publication. sorry.)
Anyway, it turned out that he was ordering a magazine subscription over the phone - one of those hunter manly-type
magazines or something. So they say their goodbyes and hang up. I immediately call him back and use my deep, manly
hunter voice.
ME: Yes, this is John from the subscription office. I'm just calling back because we're having problems verifying your
credit card number.
HIM: You mean it's not going through?
ME: I mean we're having problems because you're a stupid shit for subscribing to a boring magazine like that so
we're going to make you happier by changing the subscription to MAD magazine instead.
HIM: IME: Have a nice day. <click>
The poor guy must have taken the whole thing seriously because he called back the subscription office and started
explaining that he really wanted the magazine he ordered. The lady who answered was the same lady who took his order
and was baffled by his story. "We don't even sell Mad magazine here."
So they go on and on and on about how somebody must have tapped their office phones and somebody is listening in
and getting everyone's credit card numbers and the guy is convinced that is must be one of those activists who are against
hunting as a sport. I would have called him while he was talking to the lady but the idiot didn't have call waiting.
After he hangs up with her, he calls the phone company and explains his problem to her. She asks if maybe he has a
cordless phone and he says yes but there's no way anybody could listen in because it's a special scrambled security phone.
Actually, it was just a ten channel cordless phone that switches channels each time a new call is placed. All cordless phones
try to make you feel safe by throwing those important sounding words on the box.
Finally he talks to an operator who explains to him how to use *69 and *57. After hanging up, he dials *69 and our
phone begins to ring. (*67 doesn't block *69 around here.) Normally this wouldn't bother us - we just didn't answer the
phone. But this guy sat there and let our phone ring for about fifteen minutes. Finally he stopped so I used OCI to call him
collect, thinking that would make OCI the last number that called him and not ours.
But for some reason this didn't work and he dialed *69 again and let our phone ring for another 15 minutes. My
friend didn't want to answer it and mess with him because it was his parents phone line. So, I took off in search of a pay
phone so I could call the guy and my friends' number would be out of his *69. This was harder than it sounds because for
almost the entire time I was out, he was letting our phone ring so I couldn't get through.
So finally I went back and the phone was still ringing. This was getting desperate - his parents were due home in an
hour and wouldn't react kindly to this sort of thing. Finally, the ringing stopped while he called a friend. After he called
the friend, I managed to make an AT&T collect call to him which threw off his *69 this time. And we lived happily ever
after. I still can't figure out why OCI didn't work at first.
------------
A lady calls GTE to tell them that when she's having problems connecting to her work's computer system with her
laptop. GTE says they'll have to upgrade her line status which will cost an extra $6.50 a month. Gee, that sounds like a
scam to me. My computer connects just fine here. Anyway, after she gets off the phone, of course I have to call her.
HER: Hello?
ME: Hi, this is Steve with GTE repair. I understand you're having some problems with your computer connections?
HER: (Begins to explain her problems to me...)
ME: Hmmmm, well, a line upgrade might not be neccessary. What brand of computer are you using?
HER: It's a Toshiba laptop.
ME: Ah! That's you're problem right there. We've had this before.
HER: What's that?
ME: A Toshiba. That's a fucking piece of shit of a computer you own. Throw the fucking thing in the god damned
garbage can a buy yourself a new computer.
HER: (laughs) WellME: <click>
She sits on the phone for a minute, then hangs up. Then she dials "0".
OPERATOR: GTE, may I help you?
HER: (sounds REALLY pissed) I need to talk to your supervisor.
OPERATOR: Please hold.
She ends up getting transfered to the billing office where she yells at the people there. They ask if she's on a cordless
phone perhaps and she replies yes. The operator advises her to unplug her cordless phone and not to use it anymore. Right
them she switches phones and I never hear from her again.
------------
I turned on the scanner and an old man was talking to some catalog company and ordering a jacket for his son-inlaw. He read off his full information which included his Discover card and his son's information for shipping. After he
hung up, I immediately called him:
HIM: Hello?
ME: Yes, this is Jim from the shipping department. We're having a little trouble with the jacket you ordered?
HIM: Yes?
ME: Well, you wanted the Dark Navy Teil and we seem to be out of that color so we're going to have to substitute it
with Turquoise.
HIM: What color is that?
ME: It's kind of a day-glow blue color. Very pantsy-looking.
HIM: I don't think I'd want that color...
ME: Well, you don't have a choice. That's what we're shipping. (During all this I'm cracking up and I keep having to
hold down the mute button so I can laugh.)
HIM: (muttering) Let's see what else you have here...
ME: No, I said we're sending you the pantsy color and that's what you're getting. We also don't have the 35" sleaves
so you're going to have to settle for a 10". Sorry.
HIM: What?
ME: And this is also going to cost a little more on your Discover card. (At this point I slam down the phone because
I'm laughing so hard.)
As soon as he realizes I've hung up, he calls back the catalog company and gives them his information and explains to
them what just happened. The lady at the company doesn't know what to think and says she'll ask her supervisor and call
back if there were any changes in the order. After that call, I call his son-in-law. He's not there so I get to talk to his wife
instead.
ME: So this is Mrs. xxx?
HER: Yes it is.
ME: Well, your father just placed an order with us and we're out of the color he wanted so we just wanted to let you
know that we've substituted it with a very girly-looking light blue color with yellow polka dots and this will only increase
the charge on his Discover card by a mere $25.
HER: Yeah, right. (chuckles) I can tell you right now that my husband won't want that color.
ME: Well, it's not his decision, is it? His polka-dot coat will arrive there sometime before January 21st. Thank you for
ordering with us. <click>
About this time, the old man calls up his daughter and they swap stories and think that this is really all kind of
strange. The old man calls the catalog company once again to tell them his new story. They have no clue and tell him that
his order hasn't been touched. Unfortunately, this is a very calm old man and he doesn't yell or anything which made it
quite boring.
After awhile he stops using the phone and I get really bored. I remember that the first time he called, he told the lady
he was shipping it to his daughter's house because he was going on a vacation in Hawaii. So I called him again:
HIM: Hello.
ME: Yes, this is Kahoona Jim from the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce. I understand that you're planning on
vacationing down here in a few weeks?
HIM: Yes, I am.
ME: Well, I'm just calling to inform you that we don't want you here and not to come to Hawaii. Maybe you could
vacation in Kansas instead.
HIM: No, I've already bought plane tickets to Hawaii.
ME: Well, you're gonna have to get a refund on those. You're not welcome here.
HIM: Why not?
ME: Because you might interfere with the hoola girls dancing or something.
HIM: (starts giving me an old man laugh) Well, I'm commin' anyway.
ME: Well, I'll just have my supervisor meet you at the airport and tell you to go home! <click>
Phone Losers of America Headline News
Fun At Home With Wrong Numbers - Mike Royko (RoyCo??)
Feb 1, 1984 Celina Daily Standard
Some people are angered by wrong numbers. They bellow and slam the phone down as if the caller did it on purpose.
Not me. I make the best of wrong numbers, and sometimes they can be fun.
For example, there are the little children whose parents let them play with phones. It happens to everyone. Your
phone rings and you say hello and you hear a childish voice say: "Hawwo, who dish?"
You can just ang up and be done with it. But I prefer to drop my voice to it's lowest pitch, then make a loud, menacing
growling sound. As often as not, I'll hear the phone rattle on the floor and the sound of a terrified child running away and
screaming for its mother.
I'm not being cruel. If anything I'm helping parents of that child lower their phone bill. Then there was the man who
dialed my home number one night, and when my son answered the phone, mumbled, "Lemme talk to Delia." My son
politely said, "What number do you want?" The man mumbled an obscenity and hung up.
A minute later, the phone rang again. I picked it up. It was the same guy. He mumbled, "Lemme talk to Delia." Now,
had he been polite the first time, I would have told him that he was dialing the wrong number. Instead, I snarled, "What
do you want with Delia, bub?"
That woke him up and he yelled, "Who the hell are you?" Actually, his language was much stronger. So I said, "Never
mind that. Who are you?" He said "Hey, I'm Delia's boyfriend."
I said, "Hold on." then I yelled, so he could hear me, "Hey Delia, there's some klutz on the phone who says he's your
boyfriend." I waited a moment, then said, "Delia says she don't want to talk to any klutz."
He began shouting and swearing both and me and Delia. So I interrupted and said, "Take my advice, pal. Delia is too
good for a no-good, low-life bum like you, so you better straighten out your act or you're going to be aced out."
Then I hung up. He never called back so I assume he accepted my couseling and now he and Delia probably have a
much more stable relationship.
Which brings me to my most recent wrong number. This morning my office phone rang and when I answered, a
woman began speaking in a crisp, businesslike manner. She said she was with a Los Angeles firm tat does corporate
research and wanted to ask me some questions about corporate policies at this company.
"Are you the comptroller at your corporation?" she asked.
"No."
"Oh, I asked your switchboard for the comptroller's office."
"Maybe he's not around."
"I see. Well, could you answer my questions?"
"Sure, why not. As long as they don't have to do with corporate secrets."
"No, I don't think they will"
"Okay."
"All right. Now, how many employees does your company have?"
"Oh, we've got lots of them."
"Lots?"
"Sure, lots and lots. We've got them all over the palce. You should see it."
"Could you be more specific in terms of numbers of employees?"
"Well, that's hard to do. We really don't count them because they're always moving around. It's hard to make a
headcount. But we've got thousands of them, I can tell you that."
"Are there more than 5,000?"
"Are you kidding? We've probably got 10 times that many. I mean, this is no ma and pa grocery store, you know."
"I see. Well, can I ask you about your policy on corporate credit cards?"
"No credit cards. No sirree."
"Why is that?"
"Listen, you start giving people credit cards and how do you know what they're going to buy with them? First thing
you know, they're buying expensive gifts for their girlfriends. Perfume. Jewelry. Eating in French restaurants. Some people
are weak."
"Well, do your employees travel?"
"Some do, some don't. Depends on if they're going somewhere."
"How do you handle payment for travel without creidt cards?"
"We give them a few bucks cash and tell them: ' When that runs out, get your ass back here.'"
"I see. Well, that's an interesting policy."
"I think so."
"Could I have your name please?"
I give her my name.
"And what is your title?"
"Uh, we don't go in for all those traditional corporate titles."
"Well, are you the chief executive officer?"
"I really don't like to use that title."
"What title do you use?"
"Well, they call me the Big Heat."
"The Big Heat?"
"Yep. Got it on my office door. Looks real good."
"The Big Heat."
"Yeah. Or just plain Heat for short."
"Well, I've never heard of corporate titles like those before."
"I guess the trend hasn't reached California yet."
"I guess not. Well, thanks you. Good-bye."
"By-dee-bye."
When she submits her report I'm sure it will create a stir at her firm. And I wouldn't be surprised if we soon start
reading stories in the financial pages about corporate boards in California naming some executives to the post of Big Heat.
When that happens, remember where it started.
------------
Woman Convicted of Harassing Judge
taken from Celina's Daily Standard, Monday, January 6, 1997
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A State Highway Patrol dispatcher convicted of harassing a judge who dismissed her lawsuit
against a medical insurer will be sentenced in April.
Gina Calvaruso, 39, of Akron, pleaded guilty in December to theft in office, vandalism and three counts of forgery.
Calvaruso, free on $5,000 bond, will be sentenced April 29 in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
Springfield Township Police arrested Calvaruso, a dispatcher at the patrol's Akron post, and charged her with
harassment for vandalizing Common Pleas Judge Michael Callahan's campaign signs and sending magazine subscriptions
to his home. Police also said Calvaruso filled out a change-of-address form that rerouted Callahan's mail to the home of a
child mollester he had sentenced.
The harassment began after Callahan dismissed a lawsuit Ms. Calvaruso filed against an insurance company that
refused to pay her medical bills, police said. She faces five years in prison and a $12,500 fine.
------------
Thieves Targeting High-Tech Insides of Pay Phones - Daily Standard, 1-10-97
Telephones Contain Expensive Computer Boards and Chips
CLEVELAND (AP) - A new target for thieves is the pay telephone, but not for the quarters. They are after computer
chips, the smarts of some phones' operating systems. "In the last two years, it's really become a problem," said Vince
Sandusky, president of the American Public Communications Council, which represents pay telephone companies.
The trend became clear in Cleveland during December. Jerry Burger, president of AmeriCall, said crooks ripped open
18 of his phones in three days, setting the company back about $60,000. "That's going to kill our profit for the year," he
said Thursday.
Burger called his competitors and found that about 100 pay telephones throughout Cleveland have been wrecked by
thieves seeking computer chips, he said. The thieves simply pry off the front of the phone, pull out the computer board and
can slide it into a pocket.
The phones involved are not simple coin boxes. In the world of the pay telephone, Sandusky said, there are two types:
dumb phones and smart phones. Dumb phones, the kind used by major phone companies, contain no expensive
technology. They are controlled by computers in phone company offices.
Smart phones, however, are used by smaller businesses that specialize in pay telephones. Each phone contains a
microprocessor similar to the motherboard of a personal computer. Computer chips allow the phones to track a variety of
information, such as the amount of money collected, and transmitt it to the phone's owner.
Burger speculated that the chips are being exported to other countries, where the pay telephone industry is growing.
Burger said developing nations had been advertising on the Internet for pay phone computer chips and technicians to
install them.
Sandusky said the guts of pay phones would have little appeal to most people. They are designed to operate
telephones and nothing more, he said. The loses have been crippling to pay phone companies, many of which are small.
Sandusky's group represents 1,546 companies, which own about 300,000 phones.
In the old days, thieves struck pay phones to get the money. But Sandusky said the computer chips cost $250 to more
than $600 per phone, which is far more valuable than the $40 or $50 the pay phones can hold.
Letters
I feel baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Ok, maybe not. Anyway, can I join pla based solely on the merit that my nads are as big as
cannonballs? Sorry, I think I'm hallucinating again. My cat got hit by a car or something.
Wood Puppy
------------
Yesterday me and my friend Dave decided to just Harrass this guy who thinks we are his uncle bob all day long. Well
we did this, so after awhile he took the phone off the hook. So the oci lady asked us if we had another number in mind, so I
decided to give her 860-528-5460. This number belongs to a Wannabe Latin Gangsta named Mark. He has a collect call
block on his phone. Well guess what?? The call went through!
So anyway he doesn't accept, so I wonder how the call went through. So I call OCI again and ask to make a collect call
to a number which is always busy. The op askes for another number, I give her mark's. Once again I get through the collect
call block. Now I hang up, and dial another collect call service. 1-800-FUCK-MCI I dial. I put his number in, "Sorry this
number does not accept collect calls".
So I think I found another trick for OCI. You give them any old number to get you in, then ask them to dial a number
with collect call block and it goes through.
Warren
[And holy jesus, it works! Good job. Now nobody is safe.]
------------
Mr. RedBoxChilliPepper, i must say that you are an idle for me. I appreciate all the work you have put into your web
page, and all the pla zines are great! I just hope that you dont stop making them, because that would be a waste of a great
talent. Anywayz, i just wanted to say that i am glad that the pla exsits, and this would be a dull world without it...one last
q... who the hell is Chris Tomkinson?
thanks,
Jamie D
[blushing...]
-----------
As a former sheriff's investigator & private investigator, I have found your site to be the best of its kind on the
internet. If you want something to work on, try figuring a way to access the DMV records of any of the states. After all, it
is hardly 'fair' that most of them are available only to law enforcement and private investigative agencies.
RCS
[I always assumed that dmv records were available to anyone who could pay the fee. Maybe it varies from state to
state. I know that some gas stations can call up the dmv and request info on a license plate because of a gas drive off. I've
done this in the past several times to get dmv info.]
-----------
hey...how's it going. I checked out that issue on Dino and the Dino soundbites. Needless to say I laughed my ass of.
What a redneck loser. Anyway, I love that Intel faxback service thing you had in PLAO42...do you have any more faxback
numbers like that? Or any other relatively simple things you can do you fuck people over with just a phone? We're new to
this, sorry if our naivity is annoying...but man, this is just too much fun...thanks...
Classwar
[I'm glad that the whole world is having a great laugh at the expense of Dino. About the fax-back numbers, the
response for those has been great and I've got about 20 fax-back numbers now. The first 10 I received are listed in the
PLA96WIN phone directory, located on our web site or from me by e-mail. ]
----------
[The following is several letters and replies from an 806 phreak named intergalactic. Seems there might be a
frightening twist to red boxing these days...]
I've been redboxing for a long time without incident. Now, in just this last month, i've had to chuck 2 redboxes and
outrun a Southwestern Bell truck! Two of my friends have had simular problems. What gives?? Some new technology i'm
not privy to? or are they just wising up?
[Are you sure that SWB was after you or were they just driving by? Remember, SWB really has no authority. They
can't arrest you or search you unless they have a policeman with them. If you have anymore details on this, let me know.]
Okay, I have some new info on this. First of all, I should have told you that this truck that chased me wasn't a typical
SWB vehicle. It was a small red truck (kinda like a chevy s-10 or something). It has the words "Anti-Theft Division" on the
sides, right under the SWB logo. Definetly something new to this area (806).
The truck pulled up about five minutes after I boxed the call. The guy got out of the truck and started walking up to
me. He was about 20 yards away, and I had about a 30 yard stretch to an alley that I'm familiar with. So I hung up and
started to walk in the other direction. He got back in his truck and drove right up to me, and I just broke the fuck out and
ran. He yelled something, but I wasn't exactly paying much attention.
After having a conversation with a few of my friends, we figured out that all of these incidents have occured within the
same 4-block area (near the college campus). Three times from the same fone!! Could it be possible that certain fones are
watched more carefully than others? I boxed from a fone just outside of town for a few hours this afternoon, and nothing
happened. I'll keep you up to date.
[A few emails later...]
Using the ultimate in hacking/phreaking skills (namely digging thru a trashcan) I was able to find an inter-office
memo at the SWB office. Apparently, I was correct in assuming that the fone co is watching some payfones more carefully
than others, and that, yes, they CAN detect a redbox. According to this memo, all local operators are being advised to
"watch their screens" when assisting with a long distance call originating from within the local NPA.
When boxing a local call in this area, you always go thru a real live operator. I did a little social engineering and I
discovered how they were detecting the box. The operator has a little screen in front of him/her that shows the number
being called, the number of the payfone, the amount of money in the fone, and (here's the kicker) the amount of coins in
the hopper. If the amount of money in the fone is greater than the coins in the hopper, they send that damn little red
truck. A brief meeting with my friends seems to verify this info. All of our troubles have occurred while boxing local calls!
[One thing - have you figured out yet if they have the authority to arrest you or will they just come up and say, "Hey,
cut that out!"]
Well, according to local police, it seems that these "Anti-Theft" personel have the same "powers" that a private
security guard would have. I think all that means is that they can lawfully detain you untill a real cop shows up. I don't
know if a cop has ever come with one of those red trucks, as I never stuck around to see.
[I was thinking - you and a friend should go to a pay phone, box a local call, have your friend leave with the red box
and any other questionable devices you have on you, then sit there and talk to the local person. Would be interesting to see
what the Bell Task Force would do if you didn't have a red box on you.]
I tried your idea. Damn near got arrested, but not for the box. The first two times we tried, nothin' happened (sleepy
operators??). Friday night, however, I boxed the call and my friend took off with the incriminating device. Shortly
thereafter, the Bellboys showed up, but it wasn't the same truck. It was a normal one. The guy gets out, walks straight up
to me, grabs the fone and hangs it up, and tells me "you're busted!" To this replied I, "Fuck you!" I went to walk away and
he grabs me, instigating a small scuffle.
Sure enough, a cop pulled up. After the cop broke us up, the Bell guy told him I was attempting to "defraud" a pay
fone. Cop searched me and found nothing. The cop asked the bellboy exactly how i was "defrauding" a pay fone. He said he
didn't know. I started laughing 'cause it seemed pretty obvious that i was in the clear, and this Bell guy started talking shit.
So what can we learn from this? Well, it seems that the operators and the field guys aren't communicating too well.
Also, some operators aren't hip to the box, and it seems that short of getting caught redbox in hand, there isn't much they
can do.
BTW, my friend that had the box was in the parking lot in his car. He told me he snapped a shot on his cheap camera
when me and that Bell guy were scrappin' so if the pic comes out good, i'll be damn sure to scan it and send it to you!
----------
PLA,
The fax-back numbers in your Winter 96 directory were great. Now I don't even have to work very hard to torture my
teachers, I just dial a few fax-back numbers every few hours and that keeps them busy all night. I've even written a script
in my Telix that dials all the 800 numbers, options and phone numbers for me. I'm so fucking lazy, ain't I?
-The Faxinator
------------
man i love you where are all the tits
i love the tits
could you talk abbout tits and boobs and hooters in your next issue
i was fifteen and i went out with a twelve year old it was my first date
ever i got dumped a short while latter
please make fun of me in future issues
its the only thing that would cheer me up
the worst part is none if this is being made up
oh lord tAKE MY LIFE MAKE ME DIE
Nicole
-----------
Hi, I'd just like you to know that apok0lamer is a bastard. Sorry, I'm not bitter or anything. Just a lowly
computational physics major who wants to show him an experiment in molecular ocillation theory when my foot collides
with his ass. Ok, maybe that WAS bitter.
Chris Hitchcock
------------
don't forget going into #cybersex / #netsex / #gayphonesex / whatever and asking them to call you collect for hot
phone sex at 412 748 4504 (victims number, who i hate) at odd hours in the morning, that way several (if you do it well,
lots) of collecct calls not from you to the person...well just an idea i had, later..and awesome page :)
darc
------------
hi there, I read your idea's on how to drive someone crazy and quite a kick out of it, and got a few idea's. I felt I should
share one I like. This can only be done at small flower shops that dont verify Credit Card number's right away.Send
someone a bunch of flower's, and they are not cheap! have a card saying from "whoever" I like to sign it short hair, third
row.
Anyway then just rattle of 12 number's 0-9 and claim it a visa. they usually only charge cards 1-3 time's a week but
will send the flower's out right away. when they try to charge the card it will of-course come up "invalid" the only lead they
have to getting thier money, is go back to the house they sent the flower's to. In the couple time's I've done it, the flower
shop got a little fierce, and the person had to pay. $50 is pretty easy to spend on flower's but its a set-back to just give up
$50.
Like I say the list you made was great, c-ya,
Jason P
[I'm glad you got some good use out of the list. However, I don't know where you're from but I don't know any flower
shop that will just take 12 random numbers as a credit card. Then, I've never tried it. 1-800-FLOWERS is an easy target.]
----------
Hey, whats up? I just wanted to let you know of a little thing I do to Scam the evil Wal-Mart. All you have to do is go
into thier fish department with a plastic bag and go into the Bathroom and get some water in it. Then go to the Fish Dept.
and grab one of thier expensive fish when nobody is looking. Then, just go to the customer service desk and get real bitchy
with them telling them that when you took it home it killed all the rest of your fish. Tell them that you no longer want this
fish and get a refund for it. They will also give you a $10 Wal-Mart gift Certificate for thier store (I think it's some sort of
policy because I have done this 3 times and everytime I get $10, when I ask for $20 they tell me that for that they have to
talk to a manager, so I just settle for a $10 G.C). All you need is a plastic bag and you can walk out with $15 dollars cash
and a $10 Gift Certificate.
Brian R.
[Their fish cost $15??]
Miscellaneous:
One time, when red boxing, after hanging up, the phone rang back... i knew what it was... i still had some money
oweing on the call. Anyways, i let it ring three times, then picked it up, and said in a startled voice, "hello?" "BC Tel
operator here. You have xx dollars oweing on your call." I said, "Well, i just got here, but there was a little old lady here
before me, and she is running away from the payfone faster than i have ever seen a lady of her age and stature run
before!" -MasterMiiND on alt.2600
RBCP - It seems that your little HiV prank and Kevin Christmas pranks, along with the pranks on CDS have been
taken really seriously..CDS's Wade Fjeld has hired an investigator on the PLA. This is a formal warning,not just a flap. anonyms
What do you mean why New Mexico? Haven't you ever heard of Roy, New Mexico? The mecca of mollestors?
The paradise of pedophiles? The haven of hamsters who hurt? -bbs post by el_jefe
Attn: It has just come to the attention of the PLA that our arch enemy, Chris Tomkinson,is still a Virgin.
The PLA thinks they're so funny. My friend BJ and I got constant harassment for weeks for no reason. We got
harassing calls at all hours of the night, things ordered on our phone bills, charges to calls we didn't make, newspaper
ads with our numbers in it, etc. I believe it has something to do with me being on the staff at MSL/Spiff.net. They're
nothing but little boys playing games. <-==-Joe Shambro-==->
dazen is a homosexual dazen likes gerbils and crisco and beans i bet he gets a boner when he calls his mother on the
phone i bet he's really uptight and needs a man or some fucking prozac quick!!
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
etext.archive.umich.edu - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
ftp.fc.net - pub/defcon/PLA
bac@bright.net - RedBoxChiliPepper
zak@lemming.com - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
collcard@big12.metrobbs.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@command.com.inter.net - Apok0lyps
http://www.pancreas.com/libs/pla.htm - THe FLoaTinG PanCReaS BBS
http://peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Phone Losers of America Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/timessquare/3237/pla.html - Virgina PLA
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/3411/ - Bay Area PLA
http://homepage.macomb.com/~syfert/pla/ - Phone Losers of Illinois
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/5937/ - Phone Losers of Wisconsin
http://www.peak.org/~bueno/plasites.html - listing of all other PLA sites
Issue #044
Released on February 8, 1997
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Owning Your Own 900 Number
Stop Paying For 2600!
Pacific Bell's QuickService
Accepting Collect Calls for your Friends
IRC Logs
Letters
"A modern payphone is as exquisitely evolved as a cactus" --Bruce Sterling from The Hacker Crackdown
HIM: So you got your pictures back or not?
HER: Well, we got the proofs from Sears when we had them taken but I don't have the money to purchase them yet.
HIM: Bummer.
HER: I was thinking of just taking the proofs down to the copy shop and having color copies made & getting them
blown up and stuff.
HIM: Well, you can't do that because there's a copyright on the proofs and I doubt the copy shop would do that for
you.
HER: Oh, like they'd care. It's self-service so they won't even know.
HIM: Heh.
HER: I don't know if they'd come out very good if we enlarged them that way, though. ...Hold on, I got another call...
HIM: Alright.
HER: <click> Hello?
ME: Yes, this is Steve from the Copy Super Center downtown.
HER: Yes?
ME: Well, I'll be blunt with you. We know all about your dishonest ploy involving the copyright infringement of your
photographs from Sears. This is just a friendly warning, but you'd better stay the hell out of our store and take your illegal
activities elseware.
HER: Who is this?
ME: I told you, I'm Steve from the Copy Center here in town. We'll have the feds staking out the store front so don't
even think about trying to make copies of your kids' photographs here. <click>
HER: <click> Oh my god, are you there, Shane?
HIM: Yeah, I'm here.
HER: Shit, you're not gonna believe this...
Everything in this issue is copyright (c) 1997 by the PLA. Void where prohibited, offer not valid in Vermont or Maine,
no purchase necessary, no salesman will call. PLA is an equal opportunity employer - we will make fun of your religion no
matter what color you are. No cost or obligation. Our pledge: "We will sell your name and address only to the highest
bidders. We are not an elite hacker group. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Setting Up Your Own 900 Number For Fun and Profit
Everyone knows that you can make big bucks by purchasing a 900 number. You've read the ads - "Stop making your
boss rich, be your own boss! Make thousands of dollars a week owning your own 900 number!" What these ads don't tell
you is that before you can get anyone to call your 900 number, you have to spend an ungodly amount of cash advertising
in the backs of magazines before you'll ever make any money. So unless you can afford big bucks in the first place, you're
not going to make anything. Until now.
Find A 900 Service:
One of the most difficult parts is actually finding a decent 900 provider. You should look for one that requires very
little or no deposit. Most of the services work like this:
- You send the 900 provider a small fee (hopefully under $50) or with some, no fee at all. You also send them your
name, address and other important information.
- The 900 service will provide you with either your own personal 900 number or they will give you a pin code to be
used on THEIR 900 number.
- Each time someone calls your 900 number or uses your pin number, you will get a small amount of the profits. (Like
maybe $1.00 a minute from their $2.99 a minute cost.)
- About a month or two later, you'll recieve a check from them for your portion of the profits.
That's how most of them work that'd you'd want to deal with. Of course, you could bypass a 900 provider altogether
and just invest about $2000 and set up your own, but I've never had that much extra money lying around to blow.
To find a 900 provider, do a web search on "own your 900 number make big money" or something similar. Also look
in the backs of magazines, such as Entrepreneur and Rolling Stone. They usually have the ones where you invest about
$100 to get your own pin number. One service I know of that doesn't charge anything to start up is Web 900. Their phone
number is 1-800-362-6728 and their URL is http://onlinew.com/logicom. They let you set an amount to be charged for
each call. (ie, someone calls your 900 number and gets billed $25.) There's also BBS 900 which does the same thing.
Okay, I'm Ready to Start Accepting Calls:
You've got your 900 number set up and now you just need to get some people to call it. Here are a few tricks that will
make you the richest kid in your neighborhood.
- Call the 900 number with your own phone. Sure, the phone company will shut off your line and your credit will be
ruined, but in two months you'll get a check big enough to pay at least 1/3 of it off. (Okay, that's not very realistic, but it
WILL work.)
- Go to a neighbor's house every night and beige box into their lines to call your own 900 number. Or better yet, a
large business that won't notice the 900 charges on their bill for awhile.
- Find a phone number that nobody ever calls, such as a gas station's credit card line. If you can't seem to find one in
your area, then call the billing office and order a phone line for an empty house. Make sure you get call forwarding for this
line. Then beige box into the line or use remote access call forwarding to forward all the calls to your 900 number.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some people think this is a great way to set up a 900 line that you can call day and night and
never be charged for the call. Sometimes this is true, but most times it isn't. When you dial the local number you've
forwarded to a 900, sometimes the ANI passes through from your line to the forwarded number, to the 900 service.
Sometimes this doesn't happen. It all depends on how the 900 company is set up. One of three things can happen when
you call a local number forwarded to a 900 line:
1. ANI will pass through and charge YOU for calling the 900 number, whether you have a 900 block on your phone or
not. (Having a block and getting charged for 900 calls really confuses the phone company.)
2. ANI will pass through and both you AND the place you've forwarded the call from will be charged for the call. This
is really weird and you have to wonder who's collecting the money on that double billing.
3. ANI will not go through and you won't get billed for the 900 call - the forwarded number will.
Unfortunately, the only way really to find out which of these happens is to try it out and watch your phone bill next
month to see if the charges appear. To be really safe, don't call the forwarded number from your house. Ever. The same
thing happens with some 800 numbers so don't think this is a risk-free diverter either.
One really interesting thing is that you can go to a Bell pay phone and call your forwarded number, be connected to
the 900 number and the Bell pay phone will start getting charged for 900 calls if #1 or #2 happens. This will alert the
phone company that something REALLY odd is going on and the phone company will usually (not having anywhere else to
turn to) call the 900 service provider and ask them what the hell is going on. This raises suspicions to your 900 account,
the 900 people call you and ask if you know what's going on. This is all un-wanted attention so if you're doing this to make
money, don't use a Bell pay phone.
- Place an ad in your local newspaper and say whatever you have to to get people to call your local forwarded number.
Try to aim the ad mostly at teenagers and kids so they'll call the number, think, "Hey, neat, a chat line!" and they'll tell
their friends about it and so on. Example ad: "New FREE chatline available! Usually it would cost you $2.99 a minute but
this month only, you can experience the fun for FREE through our local free number! Call 258-0357 and enter pin #2539
today!"
- Print up a bunch of flyers with your local number on it and post them everywhere. In your school, in your church, on
community bulletin boards, throw them at police cars. Just whatever you do, don't let anyone see you doing this or you'll
have an angry mob of townspeople at your door when the phone bills arrive.
- Log onto a BBS in your area and get an account under a false name. Make sure you use *67 when calling the BBS
since alot of sysops use Caller ID. Spam all the message groups with ads of your local phone number.
- Set up a "local" 900 number in every area code across the United States. Then place ads in all the newspapers where
you've set up the numbers.
- Tap into the lines of CoCots and try dialing the 900 number directly from those. Most of them have 900 blocks but
there's always a few.
- Find a well-hidden green telco box, bring your phone and sit there and dial your 900 number all night.
Payment:
After you've done all you can to generate traffic to your 900 line, sit back and wait for the payments to start arriving.
The few 900 services that I've experimented with will wait two months before sending you a pay check. This is to ensure
that nobody disputes the 900 charges on their line and they pay you for it and have to deduct the charges from your next
check.
Charge-backs will happen but there's always gonna be alot of people that just don't notice the extra charges on their
bill or they won't alert the 900 service in time. Some 900 services advertise "no chargebacks!" but those are usually the
ones that ask for about $99 to get hooked up so I've never messed with them.
Most 900 services will send a monthly paycheck to the address you claim to live at. Since if you're good at this, this
could be considered big-time fraud so maybe you might wanna remain anonymous. Get a PO Box (see PLA043) and use a
voicemail as a contact number for the 900 company. Then again, if any questions arise as to why so much fraud happens
involving your 900 number, you can just say you don't have a clue.
STOP PAYING FOR 2600!
Awhile ago I tried to rock the boat in usenet's alt.2600 by posting a message encouraging everyone to cancel their
subscriptions to 2600 Magazine and instead look at the issues on my web site where I'd pirated all of the back issues. This
web site, of course, does not exist. I only wanted to see a discussion in alt.2600 that didn't have to do with getting the
latest cracks for the latest games.
I expected a huge flame war to erupt, millions of posts, threatening e-mail, calls to Emmanuel, feds to email me thank
you notes. I wanted hackers to take over hotmail.com where I'd set up my 2600 e-mail address, trace my connection, hack
my ISP, shut off my phones, destroy my life, maybe even get a free Phrack t-shirt in the mail from Erikb for evening out
the competition but all I got in response were about 20 posts burried in the avalanche of "NEW WAREZ MAILING LIST"
posts. And most of the e-mail I got was positive, asking me when the site would be up or people wanting to know the URL.
When stating my depression of how little response I got, el_jefe suggested I e-mail emmanuel and tell him he sucks
and I want to be sued RIGHT NOW. But I never got around to that. So anyway, here are all the posts from my thread and
all of the e-mail I got on hotmail. Maybe once people in alt.2600 read THIS, they'll ruin my life so I won't be so bored.
Coming next issue - the resulting messages from my post in alt.christian, "STOP PAYING FOR THE HOLY BIBLE!!!"
THE POSTS:
[First, there were my two posts...]
Subject: stop paying for 2600!
From: pepman74@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 10:07:50 GMT
Are you tired of paying 2600's rediculous subscription fees? Well, worry no more! I'm setting up a web page that
includes every single issue 2600 ever wrote since they began. I'm up to 1989 so the page should be available very soon.
Every detail to every issue will be included such as pictures, covers and even hyperlinks to other cool pages in each issue!
Stop paying The Man and visit our page instead! I'll post the URL in a few dayz...
Stay 'l337!
PepsiMan
------------
Subject: STOP PAYING FOR 2600!
From: pepman74@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 1997 10:33:54 GMT
Yo, i don't think my last message posted so i'll say it again. I'm starting a new web page that has every issue of 2600
printed on it, word for word including all the pictures as well as hyperlinks to other cool sitez. Stop paying the rediculous
subscription fees to TheMan and get them from my site for free. Ive compiled 1984-1989 so far so my page should be up
very soon. Any comments/suggestions can be sent to me at pepman74@hotmail.com
Stay 31337!
------------
[And after three days of waiting, finally some replies...]
I'm glad to see that you don't worry about pesky little details like copyright law. For some reason, netizens have
become a little touchy about that of late. They seem to object to having their intellectual property stolen. But you go right
ahead. You may just wind up paying 2600's rediculous (SIC) legal fees.
c ya,
Rick
------------
Subject: Re: stop paying for 2600!
From: jericho@dimensional.com ( )
Date: 13 Jan 1997 04:08:39 GMT
This will be an interesting situation. Does Emmanuel really believe in freedom of information? If he does, he won't
mind since this person is taking a lot of time and energy to put them up. Hell, he may want copies of everything for
2600.com ...
-----------From: smiley2521@aol.com (Smiley2521)
Date: 29 Jan 1997 10:01:19 GMT
It's cool what your doing, but if everyone stopped paying them, then they'll go out of business and then you won't be
able to update your web site.
-----------From: tiburon@brokersys.com (outclassed)
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 05:07:12 GMT
Pirating 2600? What a damn shame.
------------
[After only a couple of days, the posts tapered off so I tried once again to spark a little interest, this time with a
little (but not much) more success.]
I've gotten a lot of good e-mail and a lot of negative e-mail concerning my new 2600 page. You lamers can shut the
fuck up and do something creative yourselves instead of telling me I'm stupid.
For those who are worthy - my 2600 site is almost up. Im nearing completetion and almost have all of the 2600
issues turned in to html form and up on my page and I have also put the cover on the beginning of each page and done a
much better job than emmanuel's lame-ass scans on his page. Until i am completely finished, i will not be able to give out
the address so be patent. I am almost finished!!!!
PepsiMan
http://you.will.see/2600/
------------
From:
Date:
waldo@comet.net (Waldo L. Jaquith)
1997/01/14
Hmmm...I'm not sure I'd call them ridiculous. (Or "rediculous", for that matter.)
considering the size, quality and unusual nature of the publication.
They're quite reasonable,
It's great that you're doing this, but, everybody -- please -- don't let this keep you from purchasing it. If you don't buy
_2600_, how do you suppose it'll continue to support the hacking community?
Information wants to be $1.99.
Best,
Waldo
------------
I completely agree.....2600 provides a service that is very helpful to cookbook collectors...they can't continue to
produce quality material and support meetings if they are being pirated into the red ink......besides, it's only $21 a year!
------------
From: Robert Egan <icbm@li.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 17:26:13 -0500
Oh thats good. Wipe out Emmanuel's cash and there will be no more 2600 Magazine.
------------
From:
Date:
cypher666@aol.com (Cypher666)
1997/01/25
i'd just like to add something... i'm only 15, my parents will be a tad suspicious when they see a computer/phone
fraud magazine arriving every month in the mail. I'd gladly pay the fee, but me ordering the magazine in hardcopy is not
possible. I'd love to be able to somehow pay for the electronic version, but that wouldn't be possible either. Hey, phrack is
free, why can't 2600 be?
------------
1) Goldstein has to live off of what he gets from 2600
2) Phrack is electronic, 2600 is published
Enough? Just pay for the stupid thing -- it's only $20 a year. Geeez.
Ammon
------------
From: shock_@hotmail.com (§h¤¢K)
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 07:19:59 GMT
2600 is not about How to do fraud nor does it support it, It is for all Knowledge Seekers with that burning desire to
know how things work not to know how to be a thief or to destroy things. Smoke that in your pipe little Kid; being an idiot
will not get you fame or respect have, a desire to learn new things and then you will get the respect for what knowledge you
know and how you use it to express your talents.
La8erz
§h¤¢K
------------
From:
Date:
OpIvy@pacbell.net (blah-Hipo)
1997/01/20
jesus. just steal it from book star or whatever, that way the great magazine doesnt suffer, just some big facless
coorperation.
-blah-Hipo
------------
I think it's a good idea what you are doing and I am anxious to see your page but I don't think it is a good idea for you
to incourage others to stop paying for the hard copy. If every one where to do so it would seise to exist and soon make you
new page just a bunch of outdated articles.
rebound
------------
From:
Date:
glr@ripco.com (Glen L. Roberts)
1997/01/12
If I recall previous issues of 2600... they consider copying to be the best form of flattery... don't know what they
currently say, I don't have an issue handy.
You can obviously get all the info in 2600 from the net, before they put it into magazine form... but if your time is of
any value their summary is great... also... you can't read the web on the can or the bus...
Not to mention all the people 2600 reaches that isn't on the net yet!
I also notice in the original post, that the location of this information was not given... leading to speculation that
someone is just trying to stir the pot!
[Finally, someone who has a slight clue that someone is just trying to fuck with the group. heh.]
THE E-MAIL:
From whamel@earthlink.net Sun Jan 12 09:41:29 1997
It might be a good idea to include the URL for your site in your next posting. I'd really like to take a look and see
what you've done with it though - any chance I could get it from you?
------------
From ierickson@guinan.mps.org Sun Jan 12 10:16:40 1997
What's the address of your website with all the 2600s on it?
------------
From wed@tacd.com Sun Jan 12 17:27:14 1997
If you even try to put up the magazine online, you are going to have serious problems on your hands. That isn't a
threat. It's just a fact. If you aren't willing to spend the $2-$4 four times a year for a damn good zine then you have bigger
problems. Don't be so fucking disrespectful and pathetic. Show some support for the scene, not adversity.
-Wednesday
Mother Superior of
The Church of TACD
------------
From arcangl@pa.net Sun Jan 12 20:21:27 1997
What is your URL????
------------
From max11@linknet.net Sun Jan 12 21:11:21 1997
What is the address of your web site.
MESS WITH THE BEST DIE LIKE THE REST (R)
------------
From lamerhater@aol.hahaha Sun Jan 12 20:55:37 1997
I dont usually do this. Lamers like you piss me off. now go write a sob mail to you sysadmin, whiner.
LONG LIVE 2600!!!!!!!!
[This was an e-mail bomb sent to my hotmail address about 50 times. Boy, checking 50 delete boxes and clicking the
delete icon really taught me a thing or two.]
------------
Are your pages with 2600 back-issues up yet? I'd like to take a look, where is the address?
Thanks,
Minstrel
------------
I saw a post from you about a web site with 2600 info from the mag. What is the URL and is it up-and-running yet??
bigmess
------------
Heya, I caught your message on alt.2600 about the back archives of the 2600 Magazine - unfortunately, it was a reply
to your message I read, so I did not get the URL for the page with them on. If you would please tell me it, I would be very
grateful. Thanks in advance.
Michael Rohm
------------
wow... finally someone who made a post to alt.2600 thats worth my time of reading. 1984-89 ... thats before 2600
became the lamer mainstream mag it is now. if theres any way i could possibly help id be glad to.
sniper
------------
From: Randy R Watson <rwatson+@pitt.edu>
whats the url
------------
From: zero <zero@ivic.net>
what' your address the your web page
------------
E-mail me the address please.
Vincent Arsenault
varsenault@bitsmart.com
------------
From: Jazd4@aol.com
i read your post about 2600 and was very intrested, if you can, e-mail me when you get the site up thanks.
How To Take Unfair Advantage Of Pacific Bell's QuickService - by pneyz
Earlier this week, I recieved my monthly phone bill. Of course, at the time I was in West Virginia and my phone is in
California so I now think that Bell has men in trenchcoats shadowing me. But inside the envelope, there was a PacBell
newsletter along with the ugly brown reply envelope that I used to store my stolen "C&P W.Va" telephone pole plaque in.
The newsletter was evidently aimed at telling those people too stupid to read PLA issues how to mess with people's phone
service. Oh, they didn't just come out and say it of course, but they hinted at it. I'll type up the entire thing below since I
have _no_ life.
By the way, I just found out that this will not work if you don't live in Pac Bell's territory. I know that sounds obvious
but I mean you can't find use the 800 number from out of Pac Bell territory. I tried calling Bell Atlantic and seeing if they
had a similar service and they said no. I don't know about any other RBOCs. Also, RBCP said it didn't work in USWest and
they didn't have one. Anyway, here's the little promotional thing, word for word:
Ordering Services The Easy Way
If you're in a hurry and you want to check your phone bill balance or order a Custom Calling service -- like Call
Waiting -- it's easy to do so. Just call QuickService(sm) at 1-800-241-3000 (toll free), With a touch tone phone, our
automated ordering system allows residential and small business customers to get information or order services without
having to speak to a representative. QuickService is available Monday through Friday, 7 am. to 11 pm. and Saturday from
7am. to 7pm.
With QuickService You Can:
- check the balance of your last bill,
- get the date and amount of your last payment,
- make payment arrangements,
- get copies of your bills,
- and much more.
Other Services
QuickService allows you to order or change a variety of phone services. You can call to hear a description of the
service in which you're interested. When you order a Custom Calling/CLASS service through QuickService, your one-time
connection charge will be waived! The services available through QuickService include:
- Call Waiting *
- Speed Calling 8 *
- Priority Ringing *
- Pacific Bell Calling Card
- Complete Blocking (Caller-ID) *
- Three-Way Calling *
- Select Call Forwarding *
- Call Return *
- Call Forwarding *
- Call Screen *
- Repeat Dialing *
- 24-hour Service Area or Community Discount calling plans
- Call Blocking or Unblocking of 900 or 976 numbers
- Inside Wire Per Month Repair Plan
* Custom Calling/CLASS services (where available)
How To Use QuickService
After you call 1-800-241-3000, just follow the simple voice prompts. You'll be asked to enter your area code and
phone number and a security password to protect your privacy. Your password can be your Pacific Bell Calling Card PIN,
your Pay-By-Phone PIN, or the last three numbers of your account code, shown at the top of your Pacific Bell bill. If you
call QuickService during business hours, and afterward decide you want to speak to a representative, you can press "00"
and your call will be transferred to the next available attendant.
---[end of promotional advertisement]---
Obviously, to use this service to your own ends, you will need someone's PIN or account code. The easiest way is to
call them up and do something like this:
(GB = Greg Burri, 408-439-0206 / ME = pneyz)
GB: Hello?
ME: Hi. This is Chris Tomikson with the Bell Atlantic Phone Fraud Department, are you Brian Pedersen?
GB: Yes.
ME: We have detected some strange activity coming from your calling card.
GB: I haven't used mine in a long time.
ME: Then you weren't the one who made 3 calls to a waste management facility in Espoo, Finland?
GB: What?! No. I know nothing about those.
ME: I see. And did you use it to call the San Quentin Federal Penitentairy on the 4th, for 3.2 hours?
GB: Never.
ME: OK, we've been having a lot of problems like this. Have you locked your Telephone Network Interface box?
GB: My what?
ME: Never mind. Listen, we can have all those charges removed from your bill.
GB: Thank you. Thank you very much.
ME: I just need some way to make sure it's really you <little laugh to make them think it's just routine>.
GB: Sure, what do you need?
ME: Uh, how about the last 3 digits of your account number?
GB: Umn, I don't know it.
ME: Do you have a phone bill?
GB: Yea.
ME: OK, look up at the top. There's a number. Read the last 3 digits.
GB: Sure, they're 613.
ME: Thank you. If there are any more charges on there that aren't yours, call the business office and tell them. Have a
nice day and thank you for using Pacific Bell.
It's always best to wait until late in the conversation before asking for the code. This is because they will be more
suspicious of you when you first call. Also, I threw in the bit about the TNI to get them off guard. Technical jargon and
acronyms are always good to toss around to get them confused and make them think only a TelCo employee would know
them. Some good ones to use are Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC), ACTS (Automated Coin Toll System), TNI
(Telephone Network Interface) and some Cellular terms like ESN.
Sometimes though, the people will totally believe you and start asking how they can keep this from happening and
what might have caused it. I normally just trot out the old things like "cordless phone interception" (the guy decided to
throw away his cordless phone, heh) and "un-locked TNI box". You can also tell them that some hacker named Roy is
doing this all over town.
I tried calling there and ordering 3-Way Calling and for some reason, it gave me an operator and when I added 3Way, there _was_ a $5 installation fee. This means that if you hit "0" to get an operator, you can make it so the person
you're harassing will get billed for the installation (normally, QuickService doesn't charge for installation). Of course, I
then cancelled it and reordered it on QS.
Since this is an 800 number, they can and will trace you. So if you're screwing someone over, you might want to think
about using a local payphone. You can also use a payphone, order stuff to your line, and then complain that someone else
did it. It works.
If anyone has any information about other RBOC's offering stuff like this, send me email at pneyz@armory.com. Oh
yeah, RBCP said that Ameritech (I think) had a service like this that you could call in and enter a number and get their
phone bill but he implied that it has been discontinued.
Making People Accept Collect Calls - by Jolly Spamhead & Ghost~Face~Killer
Hey, ever wanna harass a person long distance and don't want to pay for it? Well, collect call them... What, they
won't accept your call? Oh well, they're gonna have to from now on with this new 313370 trick.
Requirements to do this- First you need Three Way, because you need a friend on the other line to do this trick and
have it work right. With both of you on the fone, one of you must click over and dial OCI (1-800-288-2880) as mentioned
in previous PLA philez, Then click back over so you, your friend, and OCI are all on the same line. Your friend just stays
quiet for now. Give them the run around like so...
<OCI> Oci, This is Monica how may I help you?
<G~F~K> Hi, i'd like to make a person to person collect call.
<Monica> Yes, can I have the number on the phone your dialing from?
<G~F~K> Uh...yeah 206-265-7932
<Monica> Ok, can I have the number your dialing to?
<G~F~K> Sure it's 860-568-1814 (or the # of the person your harassing)
<Monica> Whats your name sir?
<G~F~K> My name is Fisher Priceman.
<Monica> Ok, whats the name of the person your trying to reach?
<G~F~K> Uh Justin Daigle. (or any random name)
<Monica> Ok please hold and thank you for using OCI
As soon as the lamuh picks up have your friend pop in and say I accept the call. Like so...
<CLICK>
<Justin> He...
<Spam> Hello?
<-- (Your Friend)
<Monica> Hello this is the OCI operator I Ha...
<Spam> Yeah yeah, Whatever I accept.
<Monica> Thank you for using OCI. (Click)
<Justin> -Confused- Uh Hello?
And there you have it, The Lamuh does'nt have time to Know whats going until the operator is already gone and the
call is already put through. Then it's up to you what happens next, Have Phun. Hope you enjoy this, me and dave got this
to work 100% so far!
IRC Logs
Once again, PLA is sinking to a new all-time low by publishing a gigantic collection of IRC logs.
"either he cuts this shit out, or bright.net goes bye"
-dazen
A Private Conversation with Scott The Believer:
<RBCP> Do you praise the motherfucking lord?
<STB> NO RBCP, ypu Gay jerk.
Here's What Usually Happens When We Visit #DEAF (STB's Channel):
*** Now talking in #deaf
<RBCP> i'm touching it
*** You were kicked by SD40T_2 (banned: Get Lost PLA Gay Jerks! You think you are so good, take this!
*** Attempting to rejoin...
*** Cannot rejoin channel... (you're banned!)
Colleen Card Visits #HACK:
*** Now talking in #hack
<Colleen> netsex for k0dez?
<Colleen> i swear i'm a girl.
<Colleen> i promise
<Colleen> erikb fell for it, why don't you?
<b_> BAKU BAKU
<Sinner> oh no
<no_ana> hohoho
<Erisian> Okay. You're a girl. That's nice.
<otoPICO> lalala
<dec3169> kinda my day.
)
<Colleen> but i'm blonde. please give me lots of codes.
<otoPICO> bakubaku is my god
*** You were kicked by Sinner (*** Colleen is ~carbon@waba1-cs-4.dial.bright.net (Chris Tomkinson)
*** Attempting to rejoin...
*** Rejoined channel #hack
<Colleen> you can wire them to my AOL account.
*** stb is on IRC (praise the fucking lord)
*Erisian* What the hell are you doing here?
-> *stb* i love you
<otoPICO> haha
*** RonPost (~GC10000E@mccot001.mc.duke.edu) has joined #hack
<Colleen> HI RON!
<coldfire> anyone know where i can get an ascii line printed snoopy calender?
<Colleen> I'll sell you the AT&T 10xxx code for k0dez!
*Erisian* Please leave.
<RonPost> oh boy
<coldfire> anyone know where i can get an ascii line printed snoopy calender?
* HomeySan is back from the dead. Gone 38 min 45 secs
<VaxBuster> hi homey
<Erisian> Vaxarina!
<Colleen> can anyone teach me how to hack? i'll pay you.
*HomeySan* who are you? you're funny/elite "selling 10xxx code" heh
<Erisian> COLLEEN GET THE FUCK OUT!
<HomeySan> uhhh, sure
*** You were kicked by VaxBuster (suck my c0ck )
*** Attempting to rejoin...
*** Rejoined channel #hack
)
*** You were kicked by tsal (
smewch!#$@!$@!$@!$@!
)
*** Attempting to rejoin...
*** Rejoined channel #hack
<VaxBuster> haha rp
<Colleen> howdy, i like k0dez.
<Erisian> Bwahahaha...
<tsal> LETS PLAY HACK THE STRIPPER!#@$!
<tsal> du0d
<Erisian> Let's play spot the fed...
<Colleen> i'm not a fed, i can prove it. just give me k0dez and i'll use them. i swear.
<HomeySan> sit on my lap and I'll show your rdist, baby.... (since when was that a pick-up line?) LOL
<coldfire> well if you dont know where i can get an ascii snoopy calender howabout an ascii elephant jokes calender?
<RonPost> code: 90210
<tsal> colleen: here
<tsal> 18004280940 PIN 369400
<Erisian> Coldfire - You're in the wrong place. I think you want #moroncrap.
<Colleen> whoa!
<Colleen> now i gotta hang up my modem to use it!
<otoPICO> hey colleen : to get codez you have to know the secret word
<Colleen> or i can just run over to the pay phone real quick.
<Colleen> where do you want the netsex, sir?
<tsal> colleen: you owe me netsex!@#$@!
<coldfire> erisian: you have no culture
<Colleen> boobs boobs penis. i'm touching myself.
<tsal> right here, right now.
<no_baboon> hehe.
<dec3169> u have to have a codex multiplexor to get codez.
<tsal> huhuhu
<HomeySan> *Colleen* quick, coach me on netsex tips.
<HomeySan> LOL
<Erisian> Motherfucker wants an ASCII Snoopy calendar and says I have no culture.
<otoPICO> tsal...like didnt your doctor say NO sex stuff...cuss like you are broked
<otoPICO> hahaha
<Colleen> homeysan, you traitor
<redmare> h0h0h0..u netsex coach u
<tsal> and i can have sex
<Erisian> Colleen - Telnet to all the best hacking utils at 127.0.0.1...
<Colleen> oooooooooooo, i'm there.
<Erisian> tsal - You're broked? Wha hoppen?
<Colleen> can anybody e-mail me an elite copy of telix?
<Erisian> tsal - Yeah, I was born with a weak heart...
<Erisian> tsal - Fortunately, I can bang whenever I like.
<HomeySan> collen: qmodem 4.5 test drive, all the way
<Colleen> tsal, i can give you a heart attack cause i'm really a girl and stuff
<Colleen> and i have big blonde hair
<Colleen> i wear lots of hair spray. netsex anyone?
<tsal> colleen: send me a picture
<RonPost> tsal's really a girl also.....
<tsal> ron: shhhhhhhhh
<otoPICO> tsal is hemaphroditic
<RonPost> i'm a bi-fem my self...
<Colleen> whoa, i'm a lesbo then!
<Erisian> I'm a lesbian in a man's body...
<Erisian> Hehehehe... Hack-me Elmo...
<Colleen> this telnet isn't very exciting. does anyone here wear glasses? I want to netsex you.
<Erisian> Whooo-hoo!
<otoPICO> uhh really
<otoPICO> haahahahahahaha
<RonPost> i drink from glasses....does that count?
<Erisian> Colleen - I wouldn't netsex you with emmanuel's net dick!
<otoPICO> like i have glasses and i drink from glasses!!! woop
<Fantus> like, i have contacts
<tsal> colleen: i'm really a guy, btw..
<RonPost> code: 0u812
<Colleen> wow, i haven't been banned yet. this is cool.
*tsal* btw, I'm not a chick, ronpost was lying.
* Colleen runs all over the channel waving t-shirts around and flings them in Fantus's face. "T-shirts! I got tons of
LOD-MOD t-shirts! Get 'em while they're hot!"
<HomeySan> can we play "wet t-shirt contest" in them?
<RonPost> i want my : "i phear BoW" tee
<tsal> I KNOW WHO COLLEEN IS
<Colleen> no you don't. i'm a blonde.
<Colleen> and blonde in a bottle.
<Colleen> and i got lots and lots of silicone.
<tsal> COLLEEN HAS MY INFOZ
<no_ana> COLLEEN IS JEANIE FROM "I DREAM OF JEANIE"
<no_ana> I KNEW IT
<otoPICO> uhh i have lots n lots of silicon
<Colleen> oh shit, i've been found out.
<jima> no_ana: and did colleen kill jfk too?
<Colleen> i'm not in Oregon, I moved you crazy bastard.
<Erisian> Colleen - Are you even sexier than SYNACK?
<tsal> colleen: YOU WERE
<tsal> AT LEAST IN THAT AREA
<Colleen> could i have ops because i have blonde hair.
<jobe> definitly not Colleen
<tsal> COLLEEN
<tsal> like
<Erisian> COLLENN I WANT TO To SUCK MY LOAD!!!!
<Erisian> OOPS, I MEAN I WANT *YOU* TO SUCK MY LOAD!
*** Erisian was kicked by Veggie (Go away. )
<Veggie> I have the sideburns of TEN MEN.
<Colleen> wanna stroke my truck.
*** You were kicked by jobe (NO. )
*** Attempting to rejoin...
*** Rejoined channel #hack
*** Kludge changes topic to "<Erisian> COLLENN I WANT TO To SUCK MY LOAD!!!!"
<Colleen> if i give everyone a code can i stay.
<Colleen> a code and a dollar?
<Kludge> It appears he would like to suck his load...
<otoPICO> cus colleen you are prolly a protestant....
<otoPICO> and uhh #hack is really catholic n stuff
* jobe will werk for c0dez
<Colleen> no really , i'm catholic and i worship the goddamned lord
and i go to fucking church
<Colleen> i praise his god damned name, i swear.
<Veggie> I KICK ASS FOR THE LORD.
*** tsal sets mode: +o Colleen
<Colleen> oh no
<Colleen> we smoke pot for jesus using the bible pages for rolling papers. i'm very religious.
<Colleen> i'm going to be a minister when i grow up and we'll sing priase to the fucking lord
<otoPICO> like i was gonna be a preist once...must then i sobered up
<prophit> wicked, can i have ops, i had them last night, i was promised them today
<Colleen> does anyone know the number to 1-900-HOT-BABE?
<Colleen> i'll give you k0dez for it *prophit* so can i have ops today????
<Twiztah> uhh colleen u so smart
<otoPICO> colleen: yes
<Colleen> okay
<Colleen> antix: 10288
<Colleen> byplyne: 10222
*prophit* they are opping everyone. just op me please.
<Colleen> b_ : 10333
*prophit* i am a regular here they won't mind
<Colleen> chmawd: 3
*prophit* i had ops last night and the night before, they won't mind
<Colleen> dec3169: 10482
<AvAlON> Hey prophit! nice to see ya man!!!!!!
<Colleen> etrigan: 8
<Colleen> fantus: 10776
*prophit* if u like i will return the favour in #hackers_hideout?
<Colleen> leave me alone jima, i'm a dropout.
<Colleen> fantus: 10999
<Colleen> see you confused me and i gave fantus two codes. now EVERYONE will want two codes.
<Colleen> thanks a fucking lot
<prophit> Colleen what are you doing?
<Colleen> trying to get k0dez for netsex
Dazen Goes A Little Fruity in the Head:
Dazen is one of the lamer people that hangs out 24 hours a day in #rock. Don't believe me? Stop reading for a second,
log on to IRC and look. He's on, isn't he? He's always on. Well, one day he left for a second so I took over his nick and
ended up talking to a couple of girls he was trying to netsex. I began raving in #rock that rbcp had shut off my phone and
sent the cops to our house. (Which, of course, is made up.) Here are the results:
<Bella_> Thank you Hank.. I appreciate you not yelling at me :)
<dazen> np
<Bella_> yes :)
<dazen> you're nuts
<dazen> can i do you?
<Bella_> So, did you get in trouble with the police there?
<dazen> yeah, they searched our whole house for drugs because of rbcp
<Bella_> I am?
<dazen> you are what?
<Bella_> Or did you type that in the wrong window? :P
<dazen> could be
<dazen> i'm all confused
<Bella_> uh... no
<Bella_> But I have a sister you could do *snicker* j/k hhe
<Bella_> What did he do that made them do that????
<Bella_> hmm... either one of us is lagged.. or you're REALLY messed up tonight :) hehe
<Bella_> Then again, just the fact that you even asked if you could do me tells me you're pretty messed up :P
<dazen> well, i'm pissed and my mind isn't working right i don't think
<Bella_> Maybe you should go and sleep some of it off? :)
<dazen> no, because if my defenses are down, he'll do something else and i don't wanna be woke up by the police
again.
<dazen> having a gun to your head really fucks you up
<Bella_> Why did he do it???? I just can't understand why someone would do something like that :/
<dazen> i don't know, cause i kicked his girlie one time when she came in the channel
<Bella_> oh.. hrm... it's hard to keep friends when chicks come into the picture :/
<dazen> hehe yeah no kidding
<dazen> she's a stupid cunt anyways
<dazen> he switched my long distance carrier too, i found out
<dazen> proably because that's the only thing he knows how to do
<Bella_> My husband had to kind of let go of one of his friends cause he kept calling me a *hole* hehehehe
<Bella_> oh gawd.. he's causing lots of trouble, huh?? :(
<dazen> yeah
<dazen> can i call you a hole?
<Bella_> uh.. no
<Bella_> Well, after one visit there, perhaps the police will know he's just being buckety and not come out
anymore??? :)
<dazen> i hope not
<dazen> i'm feeling better now, thanks
<Bella_> Most police will know he's just trying to cause trouble and if he keeps calling them, they'll find out who he is
and he'll be in trouble :)
<dazen> yeah, they kept asking me all these questions about PLA and stuff
<Bella_> hmm.. well, police can't do anything about the PLA anyway... so don't worry about it :)
<dazen> fuck off
<Bella_> who me?
<Bella_> What the hell are you talking about???
<dazen> i know what you just did
<Bella_> uhm.... I don't know what you're talking about.. mind telling me?
<dazen> yes i do
<Bella_> Hank... WHAT are you talking about??? I haven't done anything but sit here and talk to you :/
<Bella_> Yes you do what?
<Bella_> You're not making any sense tonight Hank :(
<dazen> forget it. i just hope you're happy now
<dazen> i'm going to go end my problems right now
[After that, I logged off of IRC as Dazen, then back in as myself. Here's what was said in #rock.]
<Bella_> apok.. if you're here..... PLEASE msg me??????????????
<Apok0lyps> belles: what?
<Bella_> Are you at home with z3ns??
<Apok0lyps> yeah
<Bella_> Is he ok?
<JuNiE> z3n, okay? hmm
<Bella_> Junie.. I'm worried about him.. :(
<rbcp> what's wrong with dazen?
<vel0city> who are we worried about?
<jammie> dazen
<vel0city> why
<Bella_> I'm serious
<Bella_> apok.. could you PLEASE go and check on him??? please????
<Apok0lyps> belles: he's fine
<JuNiE> whats with dazen?
<Bella_> Why is he freaking out on me like that then????
<Apok0lyps> belles: I do't know
<Bella_> Can you tell me what he's doing right now apok?? Cause he said something really spooky to me before he
left :(
<Apok0lyps> belles: sleeping
<Bella_> *whew*... good
<Bella_> He scared me half to death there apok... :/
<rbcp> how did he scare you?
<rbcp> i hope dazen gets hit by a bus
[Then, the next day I was minding my own business (as Dazen, of course) and Bella_/Belles starts msging me again.]
<Belles> Ok, wanna tell me what you were talking about that I allegedly did last night???
<dazen> You know!
<Belles> Hank.. I have NO idea what you were talking about last night :/
<dazen> Guess then
<Belles> I wouldn't know where to begin... other than returning a kick that you gave me :)
<dazen> Fuck off then
<Belles> All I know is that you kicked me and called me a bitch because you were too lagged to see me say hello.. and
it went downhill from there *sigh*
<Belles> Oh, ok.. I see how it is.. I send you something... you get pissed off for no reason and that's the end of it,
right??
<Belles> Ok, I'll leave... hope you have a good life Hank.. bye..
<dazen> Whatever bitch
<Belles> look Hank, don't even bother messaging me back, ok? If you want to get all upset about something and not
even tell me what you're upset about, then I can't be held responsible for it... ok?? Let's just leave it at that unless you'd
like to tell me what you're so upset about, because I honestly have NO idea :/
<dazen> Just FUCK OFF already
[Later that day, Dazen left IRC again so Colleen took over his nick and a girl named skinflowr starting msging her.
Part of the log was lost, but here's what we recovered.]
<skinflowr> =)
<dazen> Fuck you bitch
<skinflowr> z3ns?
<skinflowr> please talk to me.
<skinflowr> z3ns i know you are not away
<skinflowr> i will not go away. i want to talk to you.
<skinflowr> you're probly posting everything i write. i don't care.
<skinflowr> i don't know what you heard but i wish you would talk to me. you must hate me. i'm so fucking stupid. i
don't know what to say...well i do, but you ..will not listen anymore. i wanted *you* so bad, and now i guess i ruined it.
please listen to me zens, i'm sorry. i don't want to say this, cause it's true but you won;t believe me, but i really like you.
still. i don't know what i can do to convince. i hope you are even reading this far. you hate me now, and
[So next time you're on IRC, change your nick to Dazen and interesting things are sure to follow.]
A Typical Lamer Enters #rock:
[This guy kept coming in, asking about rock music, then getting kicked. I kept unbanning him so he'd get kicked
again. This went on for several minutes.]
<rbcp> <Tsk> i'm banned again
<rbcp> who the hell is tsk anyway?
<rbcp> i asked him who he was: <Tsk> The Silent Killer.. i draw ansi.. why?
<rbcp> wow, if that doesn't sum it up... hehe
<Agrajag> hahahahahaha
<Agrajag> "i draw ansi"
<Agrajag> let him back in.....
<rbcp> <Tsk> will you let me back in?
<rbcp> <Tsk> just don't op me again
<rbcp> <Tsk> el_jefe didn't like that i guess
<Agrajag> -> *tsk* You draw ANSI!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
<Agrajag> <Tsk> yeah why?
<Agrajag> <Agrajag> that makes you Leet-o
<rbcp> let's ask tsk to draw us elite ansi
*** rbcp changes topic to "PLA is looking for good ansi artists. please email dazen if interested"
<Agrajag> <Tsk> i'm not even allowed in your channel. why would I do that?
<Agrajag> <Agrajag> rbcp's graphics are getting on everyone's nerves
<Agrajag> <Agrajag> we need some good ansi
<Agrajag> <Agrajag> i hear you are good
<Agrajag> <Tsk> who told you that?
*** Tsk (dever001@san_marcos.csusm.edu) has joined #rock
<Tsk> [rbcp(zen@waba2-cs-3.dial.bright.net)] okay, i unkeyed it
<Tsk> good
<Tsk> thanks
<rbcp> your welcome
<rbcp> hey, what's with your posting my msgs?
<rbcp> i don't like that
* rbcp doesn't like people to post his private msgs public
<rbcp> do you think that's funny or something tsk?
* rbcp loosens his collar
<Tsk> hehe
<Tsk> do you want to see one of my ansis?
<Tsk> I only draw logos.. not really pictures..
<Tsk> rbcp - sorry.. just showing you helping me.
<Tsk> rbcp - i wont do it again.
<rbcp> my mother posted one of my private messages into a channel once...ONCE.
<Agrajag> tsk: that was a PRIVATE transmisssion
<Agrajag> it is illegal to repost it
<rbcp> tsk, do you realize the penalties of what you've done?
<Tsk> rbcp - i'm assuming i get to be kicked out again?
<rbcp> do you have any idea the scope of the magnitude of problems you could get yourself into doing shit like this
on irc?
<rbcp> do you know WHY they invented private msgs?
<rbcp> do you understand the meaning and use of msg?
<Tsk> rbcp - yes sir. do you accept appologies?
<rbcp> i don't think you understand, tsk
<rbcp> something like this just isn't that easily forgiven
<Tsk> rbcp - oh. then what do you want me to say?
<rbcp> actually, i'm just kiddin' tsk. i'm bored
<Tsk> rbcp - yeah i realized that :>
*** Tsk was kicked by rbcp (but i'll kick your ass anyway
)
<rbcp> haha
*** Tsk (dever001@san_marcos.csusm.edu) has joined #rock
*** Tsk was kicked by el_jefe (
hi tsk
)
<rbcp> <Tsk> oh for crying out loud.
*** Tsk (dever001@san_marcos.csusm.edu) has joined #rock
<rbcp> oh shit, i just posted a private msg!
*** Tsk was kicked by Apok0lyps (%
phear
% wanna touch my monkey?
)
*** Tsk (dever001@san_marcos.csusm.edu) has joined #rock
<rbcp> tsk, do you read PLA
<Tsk> rbcp - no, sorry.
*** Tsk was kicked by rbcp (that's what you get for not reading PLA
)
*** Tsk (dever001@san_marcos.csusm.edu) has joined #rock
<rbcp> tsk, do you realize that everyone here is laughing at you?
<Tsk> haha =>
<Tsk> rbcp - i sure do :>
Colleen Card Netsexes Wel:
Colleen was innocently minding her own business when this guy started msging her and begging for net sex. So
Colleen decided to play along.
<wel> wanna hot chat?
<colleen> You start
<wel> tell me about your self.
<colleen> i'M SIXTEEN GO TO SCHOOL. FEMALE. bROWN HAIR
<wel> I am 19, go to college in South Dakota.
<wel> are you still a virgin?
<colleen> Thats kind of private (blush)
<wel> well, that's ok! what are you wearing right now?
<colleen> Tell me what you look like..
<wel> I am 6' 170lbs dark hair and eyes
<colleen> I have on a little white t-shirt, and some shorts
<wel> that's cool, I like girl wearing a white t-shirt, with the bra showing a little bit, that's sexy.
<wel> may I know your measurement?
<colleen> What are you wearing? :)
<colleen> 36 c
<wel> I am wearing a polo shirt and jean, with brief inside.
<colleen> 28 inch waist
<wel> that's pretty good size for a 16 years old young like you.
<wel> how tall are you?
<colleen> 5 foot 1
<colleen> :)
<wel> you have a boygriend?
<colleen> No one serious
<wel> me neither
<wel> by the way, my dick is about 7" long.
<wel> what kind of position you like?
<colleen> REALLY??!!!
<wel> yes, I don't lie about that.
<colleen> I like to be dominatied..
<wel> you mean dominated?
<colleen> I like a man who can put me in my place :)
<wel> I can put you in anywhere you want.
<colleen> I like to be on bottom, with a man who is all hot and sweaty on top of me.
<wel> you ever feel horny?
<colleen> Yes.....
<wel> your pussy will feel the heat of my dick
<wel> so...you touch yourself very often?
<colleen> I don't have a pussy :)
<colleen> I love to stroke myself.
<wel> ARe you gay or bi?
<colleen> I guess it depends on my mood.
<colleen> Are you a hot, sweaty man?
<wel> what other way do you like to stroke your dick?
<wel> I got a question, are you m/f?
<colleen> guess
<colleen> I'm whatever you want me to be.
<wel> can you be a girl and let me fuck your red hot pussy?
<colleen> Yu have to taste me first.
<colleen> Do you want to?
<wel> taste your pussy? yes only pussy.
<wel> frankly, I am not guy or bi.
<colleen> Are you a hungry man?
<wel> I will till the end of day if you have a pussy, but I bet youi don't
<wel> I am a fucking hungry man who only wants girl.
<colleen> Don't you want to pretend I'm your little girl?
<wel> and sure, if you write like one.
<colleen> You wouldn't like it if I told you how hard you were making me hungery man?
<wel> Nope, please don't tell that,that turn me off
<wel> as I told you, I am straigt
<colleen> Will you nibble on my ears?
<colleen> I have bunny earings on
<wel> yes, I like to softly blow into your earhole.
<colleen> Oh tell me more
<wel> I like to bite your ear slightly and then grab your waist to me.
<colleen> Pull me so very tight
<wel> I can feel your tits up against my hairly chest.
<colleen> We're both getting so hard
<wel> can you feel my dick? write like a girl.
<colleen> Oh bite my nipples.
<wel> I slowly take off your tiny little t-shirt..........
<wel> I discover your big breast.......so pretty.
<wel> I start kissing your neck, brushing your long blonde hair aside.
<colleen> brown
<wel> slowly, I kiss down your throat.
<wel> down to your breast.
<wel> I rip yours bra off and start kissing your nipple vigoursly.
<colleen> Are you touching yourself?
<wel> why don't you start hand jobbing my dick on my jean.
<wel> hell yes, response to me.
<colleen> I want to feel you dick againest my ass
<wel> write me more, I am rubbing my shaft.
<colleen> Its not hairy at all.
<colleen> Turn me around and sloely tug at my shorts
<colleen> I want to feel your hard cock as you mount me from behind
<wel> more and more..........
<colleen> Are you realy this hard up?
<wel> I am hard as a rock now...
<colleen> Slowly gulide yourself inside me.. OOOHHH!
<wel> I pump your pussy back and forth.
<colleen> I have never felt anything as good, except for this one time I met this guy named frank....
<colleen> MY ASSS!
<colleen> I want your hard cock in my asshole, and I have brown hair
<wel> write like a girl, ok?
<wel> all I see is a girl's ass and pussy and tits.
<colleen> Kiss my ears while you pump me from behind
<colleen> Rubbing my chest, firmly
<colleen> I can feel the pessure mounting inside both of us.
<colleen> Do you want me?
<wel> well if you are a girl.
<wel> I guess I will talk to you later.
<colleen> My dick is throbbing for you.
<colleen> Ohhhh.
<wel> yo, get a life, queeer.
An IRC Cops Tells Me a Thing or Two:
<Kristina> I need to talk to you for a sec.
<rbcp> shoot, bitch
<Kristina> okay, first of all, I hear you are harrassing people on this network.
<rbcp> i ain't harassin' noone, you pig eyed sack of shit
<rbcp> and?
<rbcp> whatelse?
<Kristina> if I have to akill your site.. I'm going to notify ever user online and ask them to contact your ISP
concerning you.. and I'm going to contact your ISP myself and ask them to remove your account.
<rbcp> and i'm sure you have plenty of influence over them. do it
<Kristina> thats it. Just enough to keep you off this network and off the internet until you find another ISP that'll
give you another account.
<rbcp> okay, sweet tits
<rbcp> you betcha
[Curiously, nothing ever happened. They didn't even kill me off of dalnet.]
Letters:
your page sucks i hope sesame street sues your stupid ass
S2Mumford@aol.com
[This is actually a condensed version of this guy's letter. He attempted what an AOLer considers a mail bomb which
is to post the same line over and over about 20 times.]
------------
hey, don't really know you, but i read pla and i know dhate was into the pla, so i thought this might be a way to find
him. see, about, hell, about a year or less ago dhate was on his way to my house in seattle, washington, before he was to
meet up with you guys in illinois or whereever. anyways, he made it as far as his mother's house after he stole his
grandma's car and after him and zak called up and harass my mother (i never thanked them for that) i lost contact with
dhate. if you know anything, drop me a note, as it's kinda been bugging me for the last 6 months or so.
-mistawho
[Anyone? Anyone know the answer?]
------------
A very simple way to get a new 300mhz, 21" monitor, 128mg of ram is to go to best buy with a friend, carry all the
goods around, go to pay for your $5000 new computer, before paying have friend sound fire alarm (by opening up one of
those doors), you run out screeming fire (with computer on hand) into your car and drive of.
-Submarine
------------
Thanks for the file on taking over fred myers intercom system. I used to live in the seattle area and fred myer is like a
big thing there, and this trick also works on Home Depot intercom systems. As you know home depot is the largest chain
of hardware stores in america now. It is kind of funny to stand in line to pay for lumber and someone says over a loud
speaker, "price check on the variety pack of black and decker tampons--industrial strength."
goldeneye
------------
Your cordless phone conversations were really funny. I have a police scanner but don't know where to look for the
cordless conversations. Do you have a list of the frequencies?
Thanks,
Eric
[I did forget to list them, although the 10 channel cordless freqs were listed in a previous issue a few years ago. Here
are all of the 25 46MHz Cordless Phone Frequencies:
Channel Base Handset
1
43.720 48.760
2
43.740 48.840
3
43.820 48.860
4
43.840 48.920
5
43.920 49.000
6
43.960 49.080
7
44.120 49.100
8
44.160 49.160
9
44.180 49.200
10
44.200 49.240
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
44.320
44.360
44.400
44.460
44.480
46.610
46.630
46.670
46.710
46.730
46.770
46.830
46.870
46.930
46.970
49.280
49.360
49.400
49.480
49.500
49.670
49.845 (B)
49.860 (C)
49.770
49.875 (D)
49.830 (A)
49.890 (E)
49.930
49.990
49.970
The A,B,C,D and E channels are also used for baby monitors which can sometimes let you listen in on a whole section
of the house if the parents are stupid enough to leave it turned on all day.
The 900 MHz Cordless Phones are getting more common as they become cheaper and you can hear them from
further away, but they periodically switch channels in the middle of conversations and it's hard to find the same
conversation again once it's switched. If your scanner has 900 MHz capability, try scanning in the 902.000 - 928.000
range.]
------------
I'd just like to say that you guys are the worst prank-callers I've ever heard in my years of listening to prank calls.
Your subjects are fucken stupid, you honestly sound like your 12 years old (which you probably are) all of you (get some
balls and dick hair) You guys probably think your the best but you make the Jerky Boys look like kings. I sent this letter to
the rest of your corny ass friends. Final Note: Get a new hobby you pimply bastards!!!!!!!! **!!!YOU SUCK!!!**
ThickSistaLover
------------
I've got a story for you. Within walking distance from my house (about half a mile) is an IL Bell (now known as
Ameritech) shit whats it called (now this story is real credible eh?) well a repair station, where they park all of their trucks.
After months of driving by it drooling, a friend of mine decided it was time to scale the fence and see what was inside
the huge dumpster, and try to see if some of the trucks were unlocked.
The dumpster was bogus. It was filled to the TOP of it with broken asphalt, roofing, all sorts of weird shit we didn't
expect to see. So we quickly moved over to the storage shed, which was locked. So we didn't get in. There wasn't any
windows and it was one of those "Grampa Ed built it himself with no hands" type of shed that was made of rusty sheet
metal that made horrendous noise whenever touched. So we left it alone. Right by it, but too large to steal (or get into our
car actually) was a phone booth laying on its side, with no phone. It woulda been cool to have.
Since the parking lot was huge, we decided to split up. It was about 2am on a Sunday night. The parking lot was lit,
but not brightly. So all the trucks but two were locked, of what I found, and I got the hard hat, a really cool rechargable
drill, tools galore, some lady's ID badge with magnetic tape on the back that we were too chicken to try to get into the
building with (talk about jail time eh? That's like admitting we broke into the trucks), grey phone boxes like on the back of
someones house (lots of 'em in one of the trucks), a conviently placed cardboard box to throw a lot of this stuff in, a big
leather belt loaded with tools, one of those cool screwdriver type things that Elwood uses in the Blues Brothers to rip open
the panel in the elevator, those big phone wiring panels for PBX's, a voltage tester, two testsets (one cool and brand new,
one old and beat up), a cool adaptor that I should duplicate, it was to convert aligator clip testsets to an RJ11 plug. WAy
cool and way useful.
My friend found an IL BELL jumpsuit that reeked of gasoline. That was his score, and after he stuffed that into his
car, I started handing armfulls of this stuff for him to return to the car, and eventually just started chucking the non-shock
sensitive equipment over the fence.
We left. We thought about dropping the stuff off at one of our houses since if we ever got pulled over with all of this,
that wouldn't be cool, but we went for donuts instead (no, no cops) and I convinced him to go back for more.
He kept the car running and I went to the Great Big IL Van in the parking lot. It had tinted windows, and locked
doors. I wanted to get in. I kicked the back door (the trunk I suppose) and it opened. Wow, so I climb in and theres a
LAPTOP and CELLULAR MODEM and A DESK WITH LOTS OF COOL PAPERWORK AND ETC. Were I a complete geek
I would have been orgasmic, but instead i just had a stiffy. So I am gathering all of this and making my way to the exit
when... about three IL BELL trucks started to pull up. And my friends car wasn't anywhere to be seen.
I had NOWHERE to hide. I could have hid behind various bell trucks but you could see under them due to the
lighting that was periodically placed around. I saw two of those green "power" boxes that you see in yards on occasion and
tore towards them (with the laptop). They offered about 50% cover depending on what direction anyone could be coming,
but I was always exposed in some manner. If anyone came down the major street (that the trucks always do) or came into
the lot along the side street that was connected to the major street to get in and park, I would have to expose myself to the
other respective street. So I did a lot of moving.
The guys stayed a long time and did lots of talking. I didnt have a 2 way radio at the time and if I did I wouldnt have
used it, as I would have undoubtedly been heard. (this made for a good adrenaline high for the duration of this
adventure). Eventually i just had to make a break for it and slid the laptop near the fence by some bushes and scaled the
thing and booked off.
I eventually found my friend circling the area, and neither of us could believe that these guys were out at 3:30am on a
sunday. around 5am we went back and I retrieved the laptop.
THere was a lot of interesting stuff on it, but the cellular modem was lost in the escape and I was no way in hell going
to dial any of those numbers from my phone. That same friend stole a worldport 9600 bps modem from where he worked
at the time, and that didn't work because there wasn't enough voltage coming from the laptop. or something. That’s what
we deduced from the worldport manual... We had planned to call the numbers from the back of a laundromat we had
staked out a few weeks before and determined to be safe for call making activity. So that didnt happen, and there was no
power outlets anywhere to be found in the back of the laundromat, so I couldnt just bring an external modem and plug in.
So I never called any of these numbers, and I eventually sold the lap top to some guy that never paid me in full and moved
to a far away state so I could harass him. Im over it now, but im sure all the data on the laptop was erased so he could
install windows or something.
I haven't done anything "cool" with phones/bell crap in a few years, but that adventure had be burned out for a while.
I'd done some diving since but nothing good ever turned up.
And I've NEVER seen any locks on garbage of bell places, just on the garbage of computer places (which are also good
places to trash at).
Hyperturtle
[A few of the Bell buildings I've trashed at have their dumpsters locked by wrapping a chain around the top, over the
lids. What they don't seem to realize is that plastic is flexible and you just have to step on top of the dumpster's lid to get
inside. Cool story!]
------------
Perhaps you already know, but about a week ago I read in a Swedish newspaper about "Demon Phreaker" beeing
busted for playing in 407 area in USA. I can't find that article but it said something like:
XX year old guy from Gothenburg, Sweden (I think it was Gothenburg, and I dont rememer his age) was busted
today, 9701 something for via a "telecom switch" call for free to the 407 area in USA and connect various 911 lines to each
other and so. Also, they mentioned that he calls himself "Demon Phreaker" and also said that he had acted cocky when he
was in court. I like that part with beeing cocky. :-) I will try to find that article and translate it into english, it was a quite
SMALL article so.. Hopefully I can find it!
Anyways, the PLA sure is fun reading, please keep the good work up, when I get my FTP site up and running, PLA will
for sure have a dir there.
// Motion +46 Posse
[I hadn't heard a thing about this but I certainly do remember Demon Phreaker from my Defcon Voice Bridge days.
He's the one who managed to make a TDD operator cry.]
------------
When you get a PO box at Mail Boxes Etc. (PLA043) do they actually keep the I.D. you give them? Do they write down
all the info on the I.D.? Or do they want it to see how old you are or just make sure you exist?
[They definately won't keep the ID. It's possible they might want to photocopy it since most post offices have a copy
machine around, although that's never happened to me. Most places just want to write down the information on your ID
such as your birthdate and address and sometimes, the DL number.]
Another thing I remember you having a file on getting free disks through AOL and you said to order them one by one
to save you some trouble tell them that your with a small computer business and you need to order around 250 disks. To
make it seem more realistic order 75 Macintosh kits 75 DOS kits and 100 Windows kits.
Oxygen
[Wow, that's a killer idea. Thanks, I'll have to try that out.]
------------
I have a number of some really idiotic people that I'd like to submit for the numbers file.. 607-785-8736. These people
live in a trailer park... maybe that says enough about them haha.. My friends and I can kill hours bothering these morons.
I first started fucking with them when they submitted a complaint to the resturant where I worked at the time that went
something like this: "we ate our dinner, then came home, we had diareeha (sp?) for two weeks then we took a laxative,
before we went there we did not have no diareeha!" Hahha.. We're allways telling them we're gonna tow their fucking
house away with a Dodge Ram Pickup while they're sleeping hahaha..
L8r...
Beavis
------------
A year or two ago, I got a hold of a large, yellow, handset with a thumb joystick, 6 or 8 line screen, and built in 1200
bps modem. I hadn't the slightest idea what it was for, I imagined COSMOS or something like that. After perusing the
local BBS's, they suggested a number to call with it, and believe it or not, the battery went dead just as it was connecting.
So I let it charge for a day or so (it didn't take the typical 9 volt the red handsets would take. After all, it wasnt a typical
handset)
When I called the number back, I got a lady that said "Bueno!" and then I hung up. I called back again and got the
same thing.
I tried calling various BBS's with it, just to see what it would do, but the screen wouldn't give me anything.
When not connected anywhere, there was a menu with a series of items, like test line, call mainframe, and call various
numbers that you had stored. there were no numbers stored in this unit at all. Adding them was easily enough done, you
would hold the keypad number for so many seconds as there was a letter (so B would be holding down the 2 button for 2
seconds) and then at the end you'd be prompted for the name and address. It was somewhat similar to a Sharp Wizard
organizer when it came to storing numbers, although very much limited.
There was a switch on the right hand side that had three selections: Phone, monitor (phone with mute, I assume.
Thats how it acted anyway), and Modem. I determined the speed of the modem by calling my own modem with it. Have
you seen/heard anything like this? If not, I'll see about scanning a picture of it and sending it to you.
Hyperturtle
------------
I was looking through PLA 039 and I saw something about a telco guy plugging a laptop into a pay phone at subway, I
believe it was an Itronix T5000 EFP. I was able to "borrow" one of those from a GTE guy who was working by my house.
--DETHMaster
------------
i saw in one of your more recent issues your article on getting a new id. i liked it, however it wasn't immesnly
practical for the person in serious need of a permanant id. the ones you create through your method are not quite stable
until you get a large amount of id's and cards to substantiate your id. <that is if you are using someone else's name> one
of our <tacd> members happens to be very knowledgable in the area and i thought you may be interested in his article.
zyd's good, we know is name, the name he currently uses, however not even we know the name he was born with. check
out www.tacd.com, there is a link off the main page to zyd's paper tripping article. he gives some good info and
additionally gives a few refernces. just thought you may be interested.
wraith
[I've checked it out and it is indeed very informative and brings up some ideas I'd never thought of. However, my
methods of creating IDs are more stable than you think. I lived under a false name, held two jobs, got a check cashing card
and apartment in Indianapolis all from a photocopy of a fake driver's license and social security card and stayed there for
over eight months. Then I did the same in Celina, Ohio for three months, then Oregon for almost a year. So as long as you
don't wanna drive anywhere (I personally hate cars), it's good ID to have.]
------------
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NaughtyRobot exploits a security bug in HTTP and has visited your host system to collect personal, private, and
sensitive information.
It has captured your Email and physical addresses, as well as your phone and credit card numbers. To protect
yourself against the misuse of this information, do the following:
1. alert your server SysOp,
2. contact your local police,
3. disconnect your telephone, and
4. report your credit cards as lost.
Act at once. Remember: only YOU can prevent DATA fires.
This has been a public service announcement from the makers of NaughtyRobot -- CarJacking its way onto the
Information SuperHighway.
[Oh shit, I should phear NaughtyRobot. He might max out my Visa bank card for the whole entire ten dollars.]
------------
RBCP-
First I just want to say that you have to be one of my favorite zine writers. You are hillarious :). Second, in your
article about beige boxing in Celina, you mention a specially cut allen wrench to open payphones. I was wondering if you
have any text, pictures or anything on how you can make one.
Thanks a lot,
ninja1@mitec.net
[The allen wrench is just a normal looking allen wrench that has a deep groove cut into each end (making it appear as
if it were hollow) so that it will fit the "screws" holding together most pay phone stands. To see what I'm talking about,
look at the bottom panel of just about any pay phone. I've yet to find any of these wrenches in any hardware store.]
------------
I was sexually asualted by a man with a hard hat, and a lineman handset. The public has a right to know about this. I
was innocently riding my bike down the street...while wearing a PLA shirt, and throwing flyers advertising PLA, when a
big gray truck pulled up alongside of me. A man with a orange hard hat with a bell etched in it, and a orange fone with
clips on it and lots of buttons walked towards me and asked me who i was.
me: hello there sir
guy: hello sonny. i see yer with that group PLA huh?
me: oh yeah! wanna see my official membership card?
guy: no i wanna see yer undie pants!
me: oh no!my underwear? why you want to see them
guy: this is a strip search..i am searching for long objects
<i strip down to my undies>
<bell guy feels me>
me: why are you feeling my weiner?
guy: its a routine test son
me: get the hell out of here you flaming faggot!
guy: hey..it gets kinda boring with 1,000,000 pranks a day ya know!
me: PLA will get you for this! <he jumps on me and trys to anally rape me>
This is when i hit the fag with a baseball bat 20 times. His ears are bleeding and he is dying, i spit in his face and walk
away. This is how i beat up a bell guy trying to rape me!
Nytrocrash
[Wow, that's pretty harsh. Thanks for alerting others to what's really going on out there and hopefully preventing this
from happening again.]
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hey i got a question i've been redboxing for about a year now, and the only patfones i can box off of are the ones in my
high school, they look just like regular nynex payfones but the operator always comes on and tells me that she isn't
showing that i put in any quarters in the fone but she never accuses me of using a redbox or anything.
Bill
[Some phones are just impossible to red box from. I had similar problems in Indianapolis where only about 50% of
the phones in the city would work. I tried everything, but the other Bell phones just wouldn't work, unless I bypassed the
pay phone altogether. In most cases it's because the mouthpiece is muted and it can't hear your red box until money is
deposited and the call has connected. If you want to put in your first $3.00 of real money, you can usually use red box
tones after that.]
------------
After reading PLA 43, I've been inspired to start a lovely collection of other peoples' birth certificates. I'm using the
chronicled newspapers at the state library on microfiche to find out middle names and mothers maiden names in the
births column, so my lovely boss Dave-o the De-vo(lved.) is first on my list (cos he's 18, and he can buy cool stuff. And I
could get him into trouble.), followed closely by Jimmy Jammy Jokey Jerky Jamey (he's just a dickhead.) . He's getting a
lovely dead rose from us for Valentines day. Aren't we nice.
Later!!
Jimmy Jammy Jokey Jerky Dino Allsman.
------------
Regarding the liscence plate idea with 7-11 clerks, you might find it effective to, instead of SPENDING MONEY to get
a fake plate made, to instead acquire the clerk's plates (or even the manager's). Your swiss army knife is your friend. On
top of it all, the loser has to get another set of plates.
Steve Hawley
------------
I was wondering how easy it is to get caught using faxback numbers? I've been using the two hour long one for about
two weeks. I always call from a pay phone, a couple of times a day. But I have heard that the person I am using it on has
called the police, and the phone company. I have been in trouble with the law for phone harrassment, and I don't want it
to happen again. Any feedback you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and by the way, if you know any PLA members who would like to help me harrass someone, his name is Gary
Stone,(everyone calls him stoney) Lafayette IN, 47905, phone# 317-474-5423.
Demon
[Being in your situation, I wouldn't take any risks. Use a pay phone. All of the fax-backs I've listed use an 800 number
which means that the company you're using does have your number, along with everyone else who's called them.
First, the person you're harassing would have to figure out that it's a fax-machine calling them day and night. Then
they'd have to figure out what company it was, which wouldn't be that hard since the company name and number will
show up on a caller ID box. THEN they have to figure out the company's voice number and arrange for them to check and
see what number is dialing in to send them faxes.
I've tried this myself with several companies, pretending to be a victim of fax-harassment and didn't get anywhere
with them. Of course, I didn't try to get the phone company or police to help me. So the risk is there, but it's rather slim,
especially if your target is retarded. The only way to be 100% safe is to use a pay phone.]
Contact The Phone Losers Of America Nearest You!
etext.archive.umich.edu - pub/Zines/PhoneLosers
ftp.fc.net - pub/defcon/PLA
bac@bright.net - RedBoxChiliPepper
zak@lemming.com - Zak a.k.a. el_jefe
pepman74@hotmail.com - To contact Colleen Card
apok0lyp@command.com.inter.net - Apok0lyps
http://www.peak.org/~bueno/pla.html - Phone Losers of America Homepage
http://www.peak.org/~bueno/plasites.html - listing of all other PLA sites
Nekid Amy nude workout pics now available. E-mail slut@nekid.com for info.
Issue #045
Released on April 6, 1997
"Maybe if you treated people as people and not as toys to play around with you wouldn't have this superficial
Redboxchilipepper life." -Chris Tomkinson, 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Starting a Cordless Phone Scene in your Neighborhood - RBCP
Ramsey Forum Fun - Logic Box
PLA Does Not Exist! - Kcochrane
How to Get Free Videos - pneyz
More Calling Card Tips - RBCP
A Few Phone Tricks - wiretapp
Police Log - Associated Press
Letters - You
cordless phone scene
Lack of cordless activity in your area got you down? Sick of flipping through your scanner's cordless phone channels
only to hear a couple of them in use, usually by old ladies talking about their bladder problems? Well cheer up because
your listening pleasure is about to get a lot more exciting where you live.
The reason your police scanner is so boring is because not enough people in your neighborhood take advantage of the
modern convenience of a cordless phone. Hopefully this file will help your neighbors overcome this problem and bring
your city out of the dark ages, spawning a whole new world of fun for scanner buffs all over town.
Getting to Know Your Neighbors:
First of all you need to figure out which of your neighbors need to get cordless phones. Any inexpensive scanner will
pick up a 2-3 block range, even further if you invest in an antenna to mount on top of your house. (Or you tap into the next
door neighbor's 80 foot CB antenna.) Find a map of your city, usually located in the front of your phone book. Using the
map, figure out which houses you could pick up on your scanner if they owned cordless phones.
Now tromp on over to the public library and ask to borrow the reverse-search directory for your city. Going street by
street, write down the name, address and phone number of every house within a 3 block radius of your own house. Now
that you have this list of names, you must do everything in your power to make sure that these people purchase cordless
phones. Let's say to start out, you're just going to take care of the people on your own block and that includes six houses.
It's a small block, okay?
House #1: Stake out their house and whenever they go somewhere, follow them. Continue to do this until they take a
trip to Wal-Mart, or another department store that sells cordless phones. This may take several weeks to accomplish but
will be well worth it in the end.
Go into the electronics section of Wal-Mart and pick out the least expensive cordless phone on the shelf. Tell the
cashier that you're going to pay for it at the front. If she objects, mace her and run away with the phone. Now follow your
target all over the store, paying close attention to what they buy. If they don't happen to buy a cordless phone, walk by
their cart and casually toss the phone into their cart.
Hopefully they won't notice this and won't think anything of the cashier charging them an extra $30 - $40. Stand out
in front of the store and when they walk out the door, run over and grab the receipt out of their bag, then take off. This way
they won't be able to get a refund on the phone.
When they get home, they will see the phone and think, "Hey, I didn't buy a cordless phone. They must have put it in
my bag by mistake." They will try to be sneaky and keep the cordless phone, thinking they really pulled one over on 'ole
Wal-Mart.
Even better would be to cut the UPC box off of the back of a candy bar, steal some glue and glue the candy bar UPC
over the cordless phone's UPC so the cashier will ring up about 59 cents for the phone. Oh no, she won't notice this at all.
House #2: Some people own cordless phones but they rarely use them because the other phones in the house are
more conveniently located. Hang out on their sidewalk, inconspicuously playing hop-scotch or some other innocentlooking game so as not to draw any undue attention to yourself. Wait for your neighbors to leave.
When they finally leave, break into their house and take note of where all of their phones are located. Rearrange the
location of all the phones so that their cordless phone will be in the spot where it will get the most use.
An even better idea would be to steal all of their other non-cordless phones so that they would have no choice but to
use the cordless one. If you feel bad about stealing their phones, bring a supply of cordless phones with you and replace all
of their old phones with cordless's.
House #3: Get a t-shirt and use a permanent marker to write "Phone Upgrade Committee" in big letters on the front
so you'll look official. Now take your driver's license or student ID card, white out the "ID Card" part and pencil in the
letters "Phone Upgrade Committee" so that you'll have an ID incase you're carded. You can also use this ID to get beer at
7-Elevens.
Go to their door and explain to the lady that you're with the Phone Upgrade Committee in case she doesn't know how
to read your shirt. Now comes the social engineering part. A conversation will usually go like this:
*knock knock*
HER: Yes?
YOU: Hello, ma'am, I'm with the Federal Telephone Upgrade Committee and it's come to our attention by an
anonymous source that the equipment inside your house may not be up to standards. May I have a look around?
HER: Why yes, of course you may.
Nose around her house a bit and pretend to be taking notes.
YOU: Well, ma'am, it does seem that two of your telephones are not up to code. The one in the kitchen and the one in
the bedroom are both in very hazardous conditions.
HER: Hazardous?
YOU: Yes, the new Telecom Bill of 1995 states that no phone in the house should have any visible wiring around it,
meaning that you have no choice but to go buy a cordless phone right now. By owning these old phones you're clogging up
the phone lines and using up resources that could costs lives if there were an emergency.
HER: I had no idea...
YOU: Well, I've heard that one before. Since this is your first offense, I'm only going to write you a warning but I will
have to visit you again in 48 hours to ensure that you've upgraded your equipment. You'll need to buy standard 10 or 25
channel cordless phones on both of those lines.
House #4: Call up your neighbor and say in a really fast voice, "Hi, this is Ken McCarthy from KPLA radio and you're
live on the air! You've got a chance to win one of ten fabulous prizes this morning if you can answer our trivia question.
Are you ready!?! ...Okay, now listen carefully...what time is it right now? You've got ten seconds..." - "Uh... 10:43?" "You're absolutely correct!!! You've just won yourself a brand new state of the art cordless telephone! How do you feel??!"
Go on like that for awhile, take down his name and address so it'll sound official, then use a stolen credit card and
mail-order a cordless phone to his house. Hopefully he won't think anything of the invoice attached to the box. A good
catalog to card a cordless phone from is Damark. Their phone number is 1-800-729-9000.
House #5: Get your little sister to dress up in her girl scout outfit and start going door to door selling Girl S cout
Cordless Phones really cheap. Most people have a hard time saying no to little kids. If you don't have a little sister, either
kidnap one or dress up in the outfit yourself.
House #6: Call these people pretending to be a telemarketer selling cordless phones. Keep going on and on and on
until you sell one. If they hang up, call back. Explain to them that this particular cordless phone has a feature called
annoyance block which blocks all incoming calls from all telemarketers. Tell them the phones are earth-friendly. Tell them
that 90% of the profits go to help poor kids in New Jersey. If after a week of bartering them they still won't buy a phone,
ship one to them anyway, COD.
Cordless Returns - Tricking Employees:
In a few of the examples above, you replaced people's old rotary dial phones with cordless phones. If this is something
you cannot afford to do then you're going to have no other choice but to scam Wal-Mart.
You've all heard of the old "turning your 2400 baud modem into a 28.8 baud modem" trick where you buy a nice,
modern modem, take it home and return your 2400 baud modem for the same price. Well, this also works with cordless
phones and is very easy to pull off.
First you'll need to buy a good supply of replacement antennas for cordless phones from the nearest Radio Shack.
Any kind will do, just get a lot of them. Shoplifting is optional. Now go home and open your closet. If you've been doing a
good job at replacing your neighbors' phones then a pile of old crappy phones will tumble out of the door when you open
it.
Hopefully when you bought the cordless phones you saved the boxes and receipts. Take one of the old crank phones
and using black electrical tape, attach one of the cordless phone antennas to the handset of the phone. Looks just like a
cordless phone now, doesn't it? If the black tape is noticeable, try using multicolored electrical tape.
Now shove the phone into one of the cordless phone boxes, find the receipt and take it back for a full refund. The
refund lady should give you no problems because if she opens the box and sees your "cordless" phone in there, she'll have
no reason not to believe you. If the phone is bigger than the box, just shove it in sideways or something and if the box
bulges just tell the lady that you couldn't figure out how to get it in there. If you have a large enough assortment of phones
and boxes, though, this shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Frequencies:
This will be the third issue of PLA that I've published the cordless phone frequencies in. You'd think that we're getting
pressed for material... well, we are, okay? Below is a listing for 10 & 25 channel cordless phones. It's best to use the
frequency listed under "base" because you're most likely to get both sides of the conversation there. Sometimes if you also
program in the handset side, you can hear what's going on in their house while they're not on the phone. I've found this
quite common in most areas but don't usually bother with it since the sound quality sucks.
Channel Base Handset
1
43.720 48.760
2
43.740 48.840
3
43.820 48.860
4
43.840 48.920
5
43.920 49.000
6
43.960 49.080
7
44.120 49.100
8
44.160 49.160
9
44.180 49.200
10
44.200 49.240
11
44.320 49.280
12
44.360 49.360
13
44.400 49.400
14
44.460 49.480
15
44.480 49.500
16
46.610 49.670
17
46.630 49.845
18
46.670 49.860
19
46.710 49.770
20
46.730 49.875
21
46.770 49.830
22
46.830 49.890
23
46.870 49.930
24
46.930 49.990
25
46.970 49.970
Channels 1 through 25 are the 25 channel phone freqs (of course) and channels 16 through 25 are the 10 channel
freqs. If you only have a ten channel scanner then program in 16 through 25.
Voicemail:
With voicemail boxes attached to pagers becoming so popular these days, I'm hearing more and more people call in to
check their messages. After you get their voicemail dialup and pass code you're in for a lot of fun and possibly even jail
time. (opportunity to hack the jail pay phones!)
You'll be able to listen to all of their messages, erase all their saved messages, change their passcode (31337), change
their "user name" and sometimes you can even set up a phone number to be called when messages arrive. This can be fun
to set up to a person's house who you don't like, especially if it's a call-back system that asks